Dark Paradise
by New Orleans Darling
Summary: After losing their parents; twins Mara and Emmalin head for New Orleans to search for their estranged uncle. After recently learning they are witches from a powerful bloodline, they want to know more. Join them as they try to figure out who to trust and begin to develop feelings for an original and a witch - all while trying to survive in a dark new city. Klaus/OC & Kaleb/OC
1. Always and Forever

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 1 - Always and Forever  
**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin glanced down at the map in her hand while trying not to bump into people. She threw out a quick apology, as someone bumped her shoulders as they walked by. Even if it wasn't her fault, she still felt like she was responsible. She should have been paying attention.

"Hey, Mar..." She called out, trying to get her twin sister's attention. She came to a stop and raised her head, trying to find the name of the street they were on, then looked back at the big map of New Orleans. The fraternal twins had only been in the new town a couple of days and Emmalin was already feeling overwhelmed.

She and her twin sister Mara found out a few months ago they were from a long line of witches. Their parents sat them down and explained some of the family history to them, then dropped the bombshell. They also found out that not only were they witches; but other things like vampires and werewolves exist. It was enough to blow her mind, but Mara sat there with an unreadable expression on her face. She always knew there was more to the world and now it was confirmed.

Their parents gave them a choice, if they wanted to learn more and practice their craft they would teach them after graduation; but before either twin got a chance to decide their parents were murdered the night of graduation.

Emmalin shut her eyes for a moment, remembering the night she and Mara returned home after going to a party with friends to celebrate. The front door was ajar and right away she had a bad feeling. Mara threw her arm out, stopping her from taking a step further.

Mara took a cautious step toward the door, and pushed it open further with her foot. Her heart raced in her chest and her vision blurred when she saw all the blood on the walls, floor and ceiling. Her eyes had just landed on her slain parents when she heard Emmalin crying out, having just walked into the house herself and seeing the scene before her.

"Don't look, Emmy. Don't look." Mara called out, as she turned to face her sister, backing her out of the house, but it was too late. She had seen everything and had fallen to the ground in a sob. Mara sat with her, no emotion on her face, as the two waited for the police to arrive.

It had only been a week after burying their parents, that Mara had the brilliant idea to track down their estranged uncle. Emmalin couldn't even remember the last time they saw him, they were so young. She didn't even know why he was never around anymore. All she knew was one day he was gone and they were never to mention him again, but now Mara wanted to track him down and she couldn't understand why.

They should be surrounded by their friends and be in the house they grew up in to feel closer to their parents. They should be worried about college, not be in the middle of a strange city looking for a family member who apparently didn't even want to be found.

Even though Emmalin was against the idea, Mara thought it was the best plan for them and even tried to use the _'I'm the oldest card'_ against her. It was something she used often since she was thirteen minutes older and felt like that gave her authority to be in charge.

In the end Emmalin finally agreed, not cause Mara was the oldest or even right about this; but because in a time like this, they shouldn't be apart.

"Mara!" Emmalin called out again, finally causing her sister to turn her head to look at her. She pointed behind her, as she added,"I think the street we are looking for is that way."

"No, it's this way." Mara argued.

"What? No, the map says-"

"We don't need the map, Em." Mara interrupted. She nodded toward the side, as she added,"We need to go this way. I can feel it."

"You can feel it?" Emmalin stated with a questionable look. She gathered up her brown hair, piling it on top of her head, as she blew out a breath. The humid weather getting to her and all the walking around wasn't helping.

"Yes. I can feel it." Mara said again, as she took a step toward her sister. She laid her hands on her shoulders, as she continued, "Can't you feel it? There's a vibration in the air. I can feel it from head to toe." She widened her brown eyes for a moment, before whispering out, "It's magic."

Emmalin rolled her matching brown eyes, as she said,"We've only been witches, for like, a millisecond, but already you can feel it?" Before her sister could answer, she gestured toward the map, as she said,"No, Mar, I think we need to follow the map-"

"Screw the map, Emmy!" Mara stated, as she jerked the paper out of her hand, then crumbled it up and tossed it into the trash can.

Emmalin's mouth dropped open in surprise, as she said,"Mara! We needed that!"

"No, we don't. I'm telling you, the shop is this way." Mara said, as she nodded over toward the area she pointed at earlier.

Emmalin blew out an annoyed breath, as she dug in her bag to bring out her cell phone. She pulled up a search browser, then asked,"What was the name of the shop again?"

"Emmy, we don't need that!" Mara argued, as she tried to jerk the phone from her sister's hand, but she pulled back in time before she could grab it.

"Hey, you throw away my phone and I will end you." Emmalin threatened, as she pointed a finger at her sister. "Or at the very least I will give you bad hair or bad skin or something."

"Just put it away and trust me." Mara said back with an eye roll.

"I do trust you, but-"

"No you don't." Mara stated, as she saw Emmalin searching on her phone for the address of the shop they were looking for. "Cause if you did you would put that away and just follow me."

"This has nothing to do with trust, Mar." Emmalin argued, as she looked up from her phone. "But we are in a strange town, walking for hours, trying to find someone who probably doesn't want to be found. I just want to find this shop, ask if they have seen Erik then get back to our place. It's hot, I'm tired and-"

"Fine!" Mara interrupted, as she held up her hands. "Why don't you just go back now and I'll do this myself?"

"Mara, no, I'll help. I just-"

"No, I got it!" Mara stated, as she turned around and began to walk toward the area where she could feel the shop was. She was honest before, she could feel the power in the air. The magic from all the witches; new and old, alive and gone. The power rolled over her body, making her fingers tingle and her pulse race.

She had a good feeling about this place. It was loud and vibrant. There was history everywhere you turned. It was the type of place where you could easily lose yourself or find yourself if needed.

It was the perfect place for her and Emmalin in her opinion. She felt like it was a place where they can learn about themselves and their family; it was where all secrets would come out. It was a place where they could come alive and be apart of something. It was a place that would completely change their lives.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin blew out a breath, as she watched her twin walk away, getting lose in the crowd. She stomped her foot in frustration, then turned to walk in the opposite direction. She needed to get away from the crowd of people, find some shade and just breathe for a moment.

As much as she picked on Mara earlier, she could feel a tingling through her body as well, but unlike her twin it made her feel anxious and uneasy. She felt paranoid and like she should be looking over her shoulder's every few minutes.

Not wanting to be alone in this strange city a minute longer, she quickly called her sister's cell phone and rolled her eyes when her voice mail picked up.

"Mar, I didn't mean for you to do this alone. You know we have to stay together." Emmalin said into the phone. "Strength in numbers, remember? Call me back."

With a sigh, she sat down on a park bench, glancing around and taking in her surrounding. Now that she was in a quieter part of town, she could actually check out the city more. It was loud and overwhelming at times, but she had to admit all the culture and history was exhilarating and she wouldn't mind learning more.

Feeling a slight warm breeze, she glanced down, seeing a dead leaf blowing toward her. When it stopped by her shoe, she leaned down to pick it up then sat back against the bench, holding it in front of her face. Remembering one of the simple spells she read in her grimoire, she whispered out a few words, then blew out a surprised breath when the brown, dead leaf began to come alive right in front of her eyes.

The leaf was almost completely green and alive again when she heard someone call out, getting her attention. She glanced up, seeing a brown curly haired boy with bright blue eyes standing in front of her.

He glanced around for a moment, making sure no one had noticed her doing magic, then quickly jerked the leaf out of her hand and dropped it back down to the ground. They both watched the leaf blow away, then he turned his eyes back to her.

"You shouldn't do that." He warned her.

"Why?" Emmalin asked confused. In the short time she and Mara had been there, she knew there were witches all over the city. There were even magic shops and tours going on at all times. She never thought there would be a problem with it.

"You're breaking the biggest rule here." His accented voice said.

"What?" She asked, feeling even more confused.

He glanced around again, making sure he didn't see any of Marcel's vampires hanging around. Even thought he didn't see any, he assumed there were probably at least one daywalker near by. Marcel ran the town, what he said goes.

"Come with me." He stated, as he held out a hand for her to take.

Emmalin let out a huff, as she said,"I don't know you."

"I'm Kaleb." He said, as he flashed her a smile and dropped his hand. He waited for her to say something back, but when she didn't, he raised his eyebrows, as he added,"And you are?"

"Emmalin." She softly answered.

"Now we know each other." Kaleb joked, a grin still on his face.

"Hardly." Emmalin said back, as she shifted in her seat.

"Just trust me." Kaleb quietly said.

She glanced up, looking into his eyes and felt a smile appear on her face. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. She tend to give people the benefit of a doubt, she was a trusting person, but the feeling she was getting as she looked at him was something completely different. It wasn't her wanting to give him a chance, it was a feeling that he could be trusted. She felt it in her heart that he was a good, honest person.

Without having to think about it any further, she stood from the bench and gave him a nod, letting him know she would follow him to where ever he wanted to take her. The two walked down the sidewalk together, making small talk until they arrived at a cemetery.

Kaleb walked inside the gate first, then turned his head, seeing if she was going to follow. When he saw her walking in behind him, he gestured around as he said,"This is sacred ground. Certain people can't enter."

"You mean vampires?" Emmalin questioned.

Kaleb came to a stop, turning around to face her, as he said,"So you know about them, but you don't know the rule."

"What rule?" Emmalin asked with a sigh. She was getting a little tired of hearing about a rule, but not getting an explanation.

"Witches are forbidden to practice magic in the Quarter." Kaleb answered. "And somehow Marcel always finds out."

"Oh." Emmalin breathed out. This was the first she was hearing about this.

The two quietly walked around the cemetery together, walking past rows and rows of tombstones, until Kaleb came to a stop in front of a grave. From the look on his face, she wondered if the person buried there was kin to him somehow, causing her to ask him if he knew who was buried there.

Kaleb nodded his head, as he said,"She's my - so many great I forgot the count - Aunt." He softly smiled, as he added,"Me mum always said I was more like her. That we were both free spirits."

"You came here for her... to be closer to her?" She questioned, already having a feeling that was why he moved to the town. From his accent she knew he wasn't from around there.

"Yeah." Kaleb answered, as he stared at the tombstone in front of him a little longer. He turned his attention to her, as he asked,"What about you? What made you move here?"

Emmalin felt her face drop as she saw a quick flash of her dead parents. She shook her head, trying to push the imagine out of her mind. She didn't know him well enough to tell her whole life story. Instead she looked over at him, as she said,"I have family here. An uncle. Me and my sister are trying to find him."

"Who? Maybe I know him." Kaleb questioned, as the two began to walk more through the cemetery.

"Erik Cromwell." Emmalin answered. Seeing the look on his face, she questioned,"You know him?"

"Heard of him." Kaleb answered. "He keeps to himself." He came to a quick stop, as he added,"So wait, that means you're a Cromwell?"

"Yeah." Emmalin said slowly, hoping he didn't see that as a bad thing. "You talk like you know my family."

"I don't, but I've heard of them. The Cromwell line is pretty well-known." Kaleb explained. "You come from a very long line of powerful witches."

"So I've been told." Emmalin said with a sigh. "Honestly thought, I don't feel very powerful."

"Maybe you just need a little help." Kaleb said with a smile.

Before Emmalin could question him about the comment, he walked over toward a rosebush blooming near a cluster of tombstones. He removed a rose then walked back over to her, telling her to hold on her hand.

She shot him a confused look, causing him to repeat the words he said to her earlier,"Just trust me."

Emmalin shook her head with a small laugh, just like earlier she felt like she could trust him. She felt like he wouldn't hurt her, that she would be safe with him. She smiled up at him, as she held out her hand, waiting to see what he would do.

He pulled the petals off of the rose and laid them in her hand. He held up his other hand, telling her to lay her free hand against his. Doing what he said, she laid her hand flat against his, causing her to softly gasp when she felt a spark unlike anything she had ever felt before. She could feel a warmth radiating off of him, making her feel a tingle from head to toe.

"Look." Kaleb whispered, as he nodded his head toward her other hand.

Forcing herself to break eye contact with him, she looked over at her hand and let out a breathy laugh when she saw the rose petals levitating from the palm of her hand. She let out another laugh, as the rose petals began to circle around them. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.

She turned her head back to look at Kaleb, noticing he was watching her with an adoring look on his face. She shyly bit her bottom lip for a moment before a smile appeared on her face.

As much as he hated to do it, he removed his hand from hers, causing the petals to fall to the ground around them. He enjoyed having her hand pressed against his, but he didn't want to chance having a spell going for too long. He knew what would happen if they got caught, but frankly he just wanted to show off for her; he wanted to impress her.

While the two were still standing in front of each other, she quietly asked,"I thought we couldn't do magic?"

He took a step even closer to her, as he matched her tone, and softly said back,"Sometimes you have to break the rules."

She smiled at his words, feeling like she wanted to break another rule with him; like one saying you shouldn't make a move on a total stranger. She couldn't explain the pull she felt for him, but she knew she liked it. She knew she didn't want to step back from him, but when she heard her cell phone beep, letting her know she had a new text message, she knew she had to step away.

Feeling the moment pass, she took a few steps back from him and pulled out her cell phone, seeing she had a text from Mara telling her where to meet up with her. She texted her sister back, telling her she would be there soon.

She turned her attention back to Kaleb, giving him a small smile, as she said,"I got to go. I got to meet up with my sister." As he nodded his head in understanding, her smile widen as she added,"But, it was really great meeting you."

"You too." Kaleb said back. He flashed her a smile, as he added,"I'll see you around, Pretty Girl."

Emmalin chuckled at the pet name, then turned around to make her way out of the cemetery. The further she got away from Kaleb, she could feel her face fall. In the short time she was around him she felt calm. She didn't feel the anxiety like she did earlier, but now it was returning. Her mind was racing with a million of thoughts again, she felt overwhelmed and jittery once more.

She was never good at being alone and she definitely wasn't good at being alone in a strange city. She was relieved she had her sister waiting for her, that she had at least one person in town to count on, and a part of her was hoping Kaleb could become a second person to count on.

••• ••• •••

Mara continued down the crowded sidewalk after separating from her twin sister, still shaking her head to herself at the fact that Emmalin seemed to have had a map glued to her hands ever since they arrived in New Orleans.

Of course her twin had willingly packed up and went to Louisiana with her, but it still didn't change the fact that she felt like her sister needed to let loose a little and just enjoy their trip to New Orleans. After all the bad in their lives lately, it was time something good finally happened and she really felt like this move was a good idea.

It was just several minutes later that she stumbled across the shop they'd been trying to find, but she paused at the door. Sure, she'd told her sister she'd do this on her own; but now she was having second thoughts. As far as they knew their uncle they were trying to track down was their only remaining family and this was something they should be doing together. After all, there had to be some reason that they hadn't seen or heard about their uncle since they were kids.

Turning around she surveyed the street and remembered passing a bar just a couple of minutes back, she spun on her heels and headed back the way she'd came from until she spotted the building again. A little bar called Rousseau's.

She was in love with the place as soon as she opened the door, the interior consisted of lots of brown and other neutral colors with rustic decorations and it had an old timey feel about it. Energy and history were rich in the air and looked like a place straight out of the travel catalogs she'd looked at with her sister.

Barely paying attention to the other patrons she crossed the room and took a seat at the end of the bar.

"Hey there." A female blonde bartender greeted with a warm smile as she approached the teenager.

"Hi." Mara greeted with a smile as her eyes fell to the name tag and she questioned, "Camille?"

"Mhmm." She laughed before correcting, "Cami actually… I need to get this thing changed, you wouldn't believe how many guys come in here trying to hit on me in French."

Mara lowered her head and laughed as she tucked her brunette hair behind her ear and shook her head, "And I bet they just think they're so clever when they're making fools of themselves."

"You have no idea." Cami agreed before asking, "What can I get you? A coke?" From her observation the girl couldn't have been more than eighteen.

"Uh…" Mara breathed wondering if she'd get carded, she cleared her throat and corrected, "Vodka soda, please."

Eyeing the teenager for a moment, Cami asked, "You have your ID on you?"

Mara's smile fell some as she realized she'd left her purse back at their house –which contained her fake ID and all she'd grabbed was some money and her cell phone before her and her sister had headed out for the day.

"I left it at my house." She admitted, knowing her actual driver's license in her pocket wouldn't do her any good.

"Well…" Cami said, "We could do the soda water plain and I'll even garnish it with lime."

Mara laughed and hopefully asked, "Rum and coke?"

"One rum and coke; minus the rum… coming right up."

Shaking her head Mara sighed, "Just the soda water and lime I guess."

It was a few moments later that Cami returned with her drink and an apology as she said, "It's not like I'm a stickler for this sort of thing, but I really need to keep this job."

"Thanks." Mara nodded with an understanding smile as she raised the glass to her lips and took a small sip, still hoping the vodka was in there –but it was just soda water.

When she felt her phone buzzing from her pocket she took it out and saw her sister was calling, normally she always took her calls but for the moment she still wanted to be alone.

She was just about to listen to the voicemail when she saw Cami set a bottle of vodka down on the bar and walked away from it.

Sitting up straight on the bar stool, she looked around making sure no one was watching her before she focused and moved her hand causing the bottle to slide on it's own to her.

With a small excited squeal she poured some of the soda water from her glass into the base of an artificial plant next to her before topping her glass off with the vodka. She gave the contents of her glass a quick swirl with her straw before taking a drink and smiling to herself until she heard someone say, "If I didn't know any better… I'd swear that bottle moved on its own."

Her gaze fell to the bar; she didn't even need to look over at the source of the voice to know how attractive he had to be with that smooth of an accent. But getting involved with a guy was the last thing she needed right now.

Looking over she watched as he sat down beside her and gave her a smile before taking a sip from his own glass and closely watching her. Her eyes roamed over his dark blonde hair and handsome face before her brown eyes locked with his blue eyes and she hid her smile as she looked away.

Handsome stranger or not, she couldn't just openly let anyone know she was a witch so she tried to play it off as she shrugged, "Maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you."

"Impossible." He argued, his eyes meeting hers again; as he suavely said with his velvety smooth accent, "I saw that bottle slide over to you, on it's own."

Shrugging she offered an excuse, "Faulty architecture? Maybe the bar is uneven."

He smiled again, clearly amused with her as raised his eyebrows and questioned, "That's your story?"

"Mhmm." She hummed nodding and taking another drink from her glass.

"I hate to discredit your defense, but if it were the bar then why was it only a single bottle that moved, and not everything?" He pushed; and her forehead lined with confusion at the way he looking at her.

She'd never him before, of that she was sure. But he spoke to her as if he'd already met her and seemed to know every answer before the questions were even asked.

Quickly covering her confused expression, she leaned in slightly and quietly said, "Well, this is New Orleans… a place full of mystery and magic."

"That it is." He agreed with a nod.

She looked him over again and bit down on her bottom lip, he was almost ridiculously attractive –but he also had bad boy written all over him. But he seemed to even take the bad boy persona a step further and there was a sense of danger in the air around him.

She knew better –having more than her fair share of run ins with guys like him, she knew she should be running for hills. But instead she found herself almost unnaturally drawn to him.

"I'm Klaus." He offered up his name, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Mara." She replied, then looked back down to her drink before turning to face him and almost jumping when she saw how closely he was watching her, clearing her throat she questioned, "You don't sound like you're from around here, on vacation or business or something?"

"Or something." He answered, not giving anything away as he questioned, "What about you, love? What brings you to this magical city?"

Mara paused; again, it seemed like he already knew the answer to the question.

"Family." She admitted with a heavy exhale, then shrugged, "Kind of… at least."

"Kind of?" He questioned; already knowing the answer. She and her sister were right where he wanted them to be; right where he needed them to be and with any luck by the end of the day they'd be practicing magic with their uncle and growing stronger.

Shaking her head and deciding to not give up anymore information about her trip she questioned, "So, um, you said you're here on business?"

"More so personal reasons. You see, love… I have reason to believe there are people conspiring against me."

She looked at him as he now had her full attention, her eyes lingered on his lips, reasoning that she was searching for a hint of a smile to show he was joking; but he showed no sign of laughing.

Her eyes widened when she realized he was serious –or at the very least he believed it himself. And now she had no idea how to respond to that, or what to even begin to say.

"Why would there be people conspiring against you?" She finally asked, not able to stop her curiosity from getting the best of her, but her attention was drawn down to her phone as it buzzed with a reminder of her twin sisters missed call. Quickly picking her phone up she sent her a text to say she'd found the shop and let her know where she wanted her to meet at.

When she raised her head to look at him, she saw he was leaned over watching what she'd typed out on her touchscreen phone.

Shooting him a disapproving look, she tilted her phone back towards her body making it to where he couldn't see it and raised her eyebrows in question; either still waiting on an answer for him, or now demanding to know why he'd been watching her on her phone –he wasn't exactly sure which one.

This wasn't his first encounter with Mara –the teenager had no idea or memory of it, but he was the reason she and her twin sister were now in New Orleans tracking down their estranged uncle.

With a smile, he finished his drink and said, "I believe that might be a topic for another day."

Mara rubbed her forehead and nodded, either accepting the answer or just wanting to meet up with her sister to finish what they'd came to town for.

"Alright…" She breathed, standing up and reaching into the back pocket of her jeans to find her money, pausing when she wondered how much a soda water even goes for. Then she sighed at remembering the stolen vodka; knowing she should probably pay for that too.

"I've got this, love."

Klaus' voice shook her from her thoughts and she saw him lay down what looked like way too much money for both of their single drinks as he stood up and offered, "I'll walk you out."

"Oh, uh… no thanks. I need to stop by the restroom and don't want to make you wait around on me; but thanks." She was tripping over her words a little and not sure why he was taking such an interest in her, but either way she needed away from him.

Not even giving him a chance to respond, she briskly walked past him towards the sign pointing to to the restrooms but she glanced over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't watching when she took a detour and ducked into the storage unlocked storage room and found the back service exit.

Once she was outside in the unforgiving dry heat of the sun, she yearned to be back inside the climate controlled bar even if that meant dealing with a possibly dangerous stranger who hovered a bit too close for someone she'd just met. What kind of a name was Klaus anyways, she wondered before shaking her head in an attempt to rid her thoughts of him.

Refusing to think about the strange encounter any longer she quickly headed in the direction of the spot she'd told her sister to meet her. It was a small decorative fountain just a few streets over that they'd sat near their first day in town. It was a place they could both easily find and she knew locating the Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop from there wouldn't be a problem. Completely oblivious to the fact that Klaus had been just around the side of the building –watching her every movement.

••• ••• •••

By the time they met up at the fountain, all Emmalin could think about was her encounter with Kaleb and the instant connection she'd felt with him. While her twin sister Mara's head was filled with questions about Klaus and the way he almost seemed to already know her when she hadn't a clue who he was.

But neither girl shared their thoughts with the other as they started towards the voodoo shop; now wasn't the time for either of them to be thinking about other than finding their Uncle Erik and hopefully being able to learn more about their family's history and further their studies in magic.

It felt like an eternity they walked in a nervous silence with neither of them knowing what to except if they were able to find him, until Mara finally spoke up and said, "Oh Emmy, I found this cute little bar that looks just like the ones we saw in the catalogs and on those travel websites."

Nodding and feeling like she needed to add something to the conversation, Emmalin said, "I stumbled across the cemetery."

Mara stopped walking and turned to face her as her twin shrugged, "Maybe not as cool as a bar…"

"No, I mean I love graveyards… just a little surprised you ended up there when we separated is all." Mara assured her.

Emmalin nodded, looking down with a small smile as she replayed the moment when she and Kaleb had joined hands and worked magic together in the cemetery.

"Oh! There's the bar." Mara exclaimed, pointing across the street and startling Emmalin from her thoughts, as she turned and looked over to building Mara was pointing at.

"Rousseau's?" Emmalin read the sign then let out a laugh as she pointed out, "Mar, that is the bar from the website we looked at."

Rolling her eyes, Mara linked arms with her and sighed, "Either way it's absolutely adorable and we need to hurry and get to Jardin Gris' before they close for the night."

It was just a few moments later that the sisters walked into the shop and looked around. Even without having Voodoo Shop in the name of the store, it still would have felt just as magical.

Energy was strong in the air and there were several shelves of bottles lining the walls, some were old glass bottles with printed out, novelty spells on rolled up parchment inside of them. The others were newer looking bottles with different color liquids inside labeled as potions.

Dried herbs hung near the cash register and there was a table with sets of divination casting stones not too far from a small metal rack of post cards, and there were a few tourist keepsake shirts and state emblem sunglasses amongst other necklaces and even a few voodoo dolls with the store's logo.

"Wow…" Emmaline breathed out her eyes scanning over the small shop; even she couldn't deny the energy flowing throughout the place. By the time she looked to her side expecting to see her sister she realized she was gone, but it only took moments before she saw her at the back wall staring up to the ceiling high shelves of candles.

"I don't remember anything like this from the travel catalogs." Emmalin whispered under her breath as she stepped up to Mara's side and looked at all of the handmade candles. Most of them had a string containing a small metal charm and a card explaining what the candle was to be used for.

"Right…" Mara breathed as she trailed her fingers over a black candle with a pentagram charm tied to it.

"You can shop later… for now we need to find someone who works here." She reminded her as she pulled Mara away from the candles and they stood near the cash register.

Mara impatiently hit the bell on the desk while Emmalin continued to take in all the sights of the store until her eyes stopped on a beautiful silver chain holding a small pendant design with a teardrop glass bubble containing a few small red color balls inside of it.

She smiled at the delicate yet sturdy beautiful design of the necklace until her gaze landed on the sign above it in her hunt for a price tag, gasping she read out loud, "Crab's eye?"

"What?" Mara asked.

Grabbing onto her twin's arm, Emmalin whisper yelled, "They're selling crab's eyes in necklaces!"

Mara's eyes widened as she saw what her sister was talking about, shrugging and a little confused she tried to reason, "Well, if I guess if I needed crab's eyes for a spell… I wouldn't want to go get them myself."

"But they are in a necklace!" Emmalin hissed, then jumped when she heard an unfamiliar laugh. Looking over the sisters saw an African American woman heading towards them with a kind smile as held her hands up and said, "Don't worry, those aren't actually eyes from a crab."

When she was met by two matching yet confused expressions she continued to explain, "Crab's eye… also known as lady bug bean or more commonly abrus seeds. They bring good luck to those who wear it on their body."

"Oh!" Both girls exclaimed in unison, before looking at each other and laughing.

"I'm Katie." She introduced herself to them before looking around and asking, "Is there anything I can help you find?"

When both girls stayed silent, she pointed to another necklace and said, "That ones filled with marigold –great for attracting the opposite sex."

Mara cracked a smile and shook her head as she declined, "No thank you." While Emmalin looked down to the floor with a smile on her lips, her thoughts again drifting to Kaleb.

"Tell me, Katie…" Mara began, pausing for a moment to make sure they were alone before she questioned, "Are you a real witch?"

"Mara!" Emmalin gasped in shock at her.

But Katie didn't seem the least bit rattled or shaken as she offered them a coy smile and said, "New Orleans is a magical town –full of all walks of life."

"Maybe we should just go." Emmalin said, tugging on her sister's arm but Mara assured her, "Chill Em, she's legit."

When her twin looked at her confused Mara continued, "Only a real witch would give some roundabout answer like that… because only real witches are afraid of getting caught. If she were faking, she'd play the witch thing up."

Looking back to the shop worker and remembering her encounter with Klaus, Mara continued, "I know because I gave the same answer to someone earlier myself."

Katie looked between them but before she could say anything, Mara explained, "We're looking for someone… another witch, his name is Erik Cromwell."

"I've only seen him in here a few times… he mostly stays to himself." Katie explained, as she walked around the desk and stood opposite the cash register from them.

"So you have no idea where he lives?" Emmalin questioned, feeling some of her hope fade.

"Sorry." Katie apologized, wishing she could help them more. The twins had power radiating off of them, but she could also tell they both seemed more lost than anything.

"It's alright, thank you anyways." Emmalin politely responded and turned to leave but Mara grabbed the crab's eye necklace and quickly paid for it telling Katie to keep the change before rushing to catch up with her sister who was standing outside on the sidewalk.

"Hey, what were you-" Emmalin's voice trailed off as her twin held out the bag to her and shook it impatiently; wanting her to take it and open it.

When she did, she smiled softly as she pulled the delicate chained pendant out of the bag and cooed, "Aww, Mar..."

"I saw the way you kept looking at it and figured it was safe since we now know no animals were harmed in the process of making it."

They both laughed and Mara took the empty bag from her sister so Emmalin could have both hands to put her newest accessory on, looking down she sincerely said, "Thank you, I love it."

"Abrus seeds… a good choice."

Mara spun around and backed up beside her sister as they stared at the man who'd seemed to almost have appeared out of nowhere behind her.

Emmalin's eyes widened. He may not have been an identical twin but there was no mistaking who he was, he was almost a spitting image of the twins father.

Mara also immediately saw the resemblance and swallowed hard as she opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it as he gave them a smile and said, "I heard you've been asking around for me."

When neither girl had a response for him, he looked them over and said, "I haven't seen you since you were just little kids." His eyes darted between their similar faces as he leaned down some motioning with his hand and continued, "Couldn't have been taller than this."

Both of their gazes fell to where he was holding his hand and Emmalin found her words as she smiled and realized, "You do remember us."

"Of course I do." He nodded, his smile falling as he saw one of Marcel's vampires across the street; they were always keeping an eye on voodoo shops and other places frequented by the witches. One of the main reasons he stayed to himself in town.

"We should take this conversation somewhere else… I was just on my way to get dinner, have you eaten?"

"No." Mara stated.

"Alright, we'll get something to eat and go back to my house. I can tell you both have a lot you want to talk about." Erik offered with the same friendly smile on his face.

Realizing just how hungry she was, Emmalin returned the smile and agreed, "Sure." As her twin sister, Mara nodded in agreement.

Erik turned and motioned for them to follow him and the sisters did just that, neither of them aware he was trying to get them away from a vampire or what to expect from their estranged uncle.

All they knew was they finally found who'd they'd been looking for or rather he found them, but the important thing was that they hoped with his help they could learn how to safely practice their magic.

Neither of them knew what to expect from him or their time in New Orleans –but the dark, magical allure of the city was undeniable.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - I hope you all liked the first chapter. This story will follow along with season one, but adding in new stuff. I guess you can say it is kind of AU. The Kaleb in this story will be the real Kaleb. It's not secretly Kol or anything. If you check the profile page you will see a link for a tumblr page for this story. Thank you to everyone reading.**


	2. House of the Rising Son - Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 2 - House of the Rising Son - Part 1**

••• ••• •••

"Any questions?" Erik asked, as he looked at the two dark headed girls sitting in front of him. He had just spent the last several minutes explaining as much as he could to them. He knew there was a lot they didn't know about and a lot they did not understand. His brother and sister-in-law never got a chance to fully clue them in on everything.

"Yeah, about a hundred, but at the moment my mind is a blank." Emmalin mumbled, as she rubbed her forehead, trying to absorb all the information he told them.

"Actually, I have one." Mara announced. When Erik turned his attention to her, nodded for her to ask, she added,"Did you know about mom and dad? Their deaths, I mean."

"I-" He began to say, but before he could continue, she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, as she added,"Cause I gotta tell ya, if Emmy breaks a finger nail I know it. So I'm sure when dad... when he..." She took a deep breath, having a hard time finishing her sentence.

She blew out the breath, then added,"You had to have felt it, right? You had to know he was gone."

"I did." Erik softly said with a short nod.

"Then how come you didn't find us? Why did we have to come find you." Mara questioned, as she stared at him, daring him to answer.

"Mara..." Emmalin quietly said, as she reached out to lay a hand on her arm, wanting her to calm down. Mara was always suspicious of people, but this was family. She didn't have to give him the third degree. She assumed he had his reasons for not coming to the funeral or being there for them until now.

"Fine. You don't have to answer." Mara mumbled, as she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest.

"No, it's okay. You two deserve the answer to that, but I just... It's hard to talk about." Erik explained. "I'm sure you can understand that."

"Of course, we can." Emmalin said, as she flashed him a small smile. She understood how hard it was to talk about their deaths. That horrible day was always on her mind, but was too upsetting to talk about with anyone, even Mara.

Erik smiled back at her, as he closely watched both girls. Even without being told, he could tell which was the 'light' twin and which one was the 'dark'.

Every set of twins in the Cromwell line got their magic two separate ways. One got theirs from lighter things; like air or nature. While the other one from darker things; like fire and water, things that could cause destruction if they were used in the wrong hands. Being dark didn't mean bad, but the dark twin could end that way if they went down the wrong path.

The twins in front of him were as different as night and day, but both equally powerful, which was why Klaus wanted them in New Orleans. Erik didn't know what his full plan was. Klaus was not the type to reveal his whole plan to anyone. He just told Erik bits and pieces when he needed him to do something, and now, he wanted Erik to train the girls, help them reach their full potential.

"Look I know I should have been around more for you two, but I am here now. And I can teach you anything you want to know, I can help you be more powerful." Erik offered.

"How?" Emmalin asked. "Witches can't practice."

"Seriously?" Mara asked surprised, this was the first she heard about it.

"It is true that it is frown upon, but we can find ways around it." Erik said vaguely. He knew Klaus would make it happened some how since he needed the girls well-trained.

"I don't mind breaking rules." Mara said with a nod. She turned her attention to Emmalin, as she asked,"But how did you know that?"

"I, uh, I heard it around town." Emmalin answered, not wanting to mention Kaleb yet. She didn't know why she wanted to keep it to herself, she usually told her twin everything, but she guessed she wanted to figure out what she was feeling when she was around him before she talked about it. Plus she knew now was not the time to get distracted by a cute face.

But without saying a word, Mara knew whatever her twin was keeping to herself had to do with a boy with the way she was blushing. She could always read her twin.

"Well this has all been informational, but it's been a long day." Mara said, as she stood up from the couch she and her sister had been sitting on. "We can pick this up later. I know Emmy is tired."

"We're been doing a lot of walking today." Emmalin pointed out, as she stood up as well.

"Where are you two staying?" Erik questioned the girls.

"A little place on the outskirts of town." Mara answered vaguely.

"It's a really cute place. Just a little two bedroom house in the middle of nowhere." Emmalin added. "No neighbors for miles. Total privacy which Mara loves, but me on the other hand-" Her voice trailed off when she noticed the look Mara was giving her.

While Emmalin was too trusting, Mara wasn't trusting at all. Erik might be their uncle, but they haven't seen him in years and the circumstances surrounding why he left was still unclear. He had explained a lot of things to them earlier, but that wasn't one of them. Mara just wasn't sure if he could be trusted yet and basically giving him their location was not a good idea in her opinion.

"Well if you're not comfortable where you are staying... As you can see, I have the room." Erik suggested, as he gestured around the huge house he was living in. It was a house Klaus furnished for him while he was helping the original, but that wasn't something the girls needed to know.

Emmalin opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Mara linked her arms with her, as she stated,"We're fine. We love our place."

"Okay, well, if you change your mind, your Uncle Erik is here for you two." He said with a friendly smile. He held out his arms, gesturing for the two girls to come toward him, before wrapping his arms around the two of them. "It is really good to see you girls again." He quietly said, as he kissed the side of both of their heads.

Emmalin softly smiled when she had a quick flash back in her mind of how he use to kiss the side of their head when they were little. She wrapped an arm around him, hugging him tight and felt tears fill her eyes when she realized how much he reminded her of their father. It made sense since the two were twins as well, but having Erik in front of them and holding them like this was almost like having her father back.

While Emmalin was reminded of the past and melted into his embrace, Mara on the other hand stood stiffly in the same spot. She knew they needed him to learn about their family and to learn more about themselves, but that didn't mean they were all one big happy family. It didn't mean she automatically trusted him and was ready to accept him as the loving uncle he appeared to be. Maybe she was being too hard on him or maybe she was just being paranoid, but she didn't care. After everything that happened, all that mattered was protecting herself and her twin. She already failed her parents, but she wasn't going to fail Emmalin. No matter what, she was not losing her sister.

••• **A few days later •••**

Mara and Emmalin sat across from each other in a small restaurant, both of them staring down to their barely touched plates of food. They'd spend the better part of the day learning even more from their Uncle Erik and their heads were still spinning.

"Do you think it's real?" Emmalin finally brought herself to ask as she picked up a french fry from her plate and slid it through the small cup of cheese before popping it into her mouth.

"Which part?" Mara questioned, rubbing her forehead. That days lesson had consisted of getting information about the original vampires dumped on them and neither girl was sure how to react to the information.

"The part about the baby… the supposed miracle baby?" Emmalin whispered as she looked around, then added, "Uncle Erik said the witches here are sure it's real."

"I have no clue…" Mara admitted then shrugged as she took a drink of her water and continued, "But the whole original vampire thing is pretty cool, right?"

"Cool?" Emmalin nearly gasped.

"Yeah, Emmy… I mean thinking about it. How powerful witchcraft is! It was a witch that made them into what they are." Mara explained her thought process, but her sister's wasn't the same.

"No, I don't think it's cool. From what Uncle Erik said… these vampires would be like, over a thousand years old and they can't be killed. Plus, isn't the whole point of being a witch to be one with nature and keep the balance?" Emmalin breathed out, dropping her napkin in the center of her plate when she was unable to stomach anymore.

Mara swallowed hard and looked down to her own plate, only her eyes weren't focused on anything. Sometimes she felt like her sister forgot their magic and the ways they practiced it weren't the same, but it was always in the back of Mara's mind that she was the dark twin –the one who drew her power from destructive forces.

"Maybe not everyone was given power to keep the balance, Em."

Emmalin's forehead lined with confusion before her matching brown eyes locked with her twin sisters and she understood what she meant.

"Just because our magic is different, doesn't mean that your magic is bad." She quickly assured her of the same thing she'd said to her a hundred times since they found out what they were.

"Easy for you to say-"

"Yeah, it is easy for me to say because I've known you since before we were born. You're not bad and I don't care what anyone says about how the dark twin can easily take the wrong path, I know that would never happen to you." Emmalin assured her with a confident smile as she reached across the table and held onto her sisters hand as she reminded her, "Plus, you've got me. And we keep each other grounded, remember?"

"Always." Mara agreed smiling back, but still not whole-heartedly sharing the same level of confidence that her sister had in her abilities and power to not go dark-side.

"Ready to get out of here?" Emmalin questioned as the small, cozy restaurant started to feel claustrophobic as the lunch rush piled in.

"Uh…" Mara blew out a heavy breath as she glanced down to the menu and said, "I think I may stay and order dessert."

"I'm gonna head home." Emmalin said as she stood up and grabbed her purse off the back of her chair before saying, "Ooh, I think may stop by the store on the way. You want anything?"

Mara shook her head back and forth as she said bye to her sister and picked the menu up, looking over all the desserts and trying to figure out which one she wanted.

Finally she changed her mind and walked up to the bar seating around the cash register, looking over her shoulder her eyes widened slightly as she saw the guy from the day before; Klaus.

If he wasn't sitting with a friend and seemingly deep in conversation, she'd have sworn he must have been following her. Quickly turning around before he could spot her she shook her head at herself and shot the waitress a smile and nodded when she asked if she could hold one for a minute.

Sitting down in one of the seats, she commanded her eyes to stay forward and not look back over to where Klaus was sitting. Which was working until she heard his voice, "Excuse me, what's that you're studying?"

Mara looked over to see the bartender Cami pause by the exit where Klaus had stopped her, "Abnormal psychology."

"Abnormal psychology? Well…perhaps you could help me diagnose my friend over here." Klaus led Cami back to where his friend was sitting and continued, "You see, Marcel here is a little depressed. Can't keep his mind off a girl. He tells me she's a queen fit for a king."

Mara stifled a laugh as she saw Marcel, trying to cover his mouth and hold back a laugh.

"I think he should cut his losses and move on, what's your professional opinion?" Klaus pushed.

Cami was silent for a moment as she thought up her answer, "Be a nice guy, and maybe the opportunity will present itself someday." As she turned to leave Marcel jumped up from his seat and asked her out for that night, but Cami didn't give a straight answer before leaving.

Turning her attention back to the waitress who was ringing her bill up, Mara paid for her and sisters food before dropping the change back into her purse and hoping to slid out of there unnoticed.

But her hopes were dashed when she heard her name being called out.

"Mara."

Her head lowered and despite her best attempt not to smile, her treacherous lips curved up at the way his velvety smooth accent added a slight 'R' sound to the end of her name.

"Fancy meeting you here." Klaus smirked as the teenager finally turned to face him and he caught the last traces of her smile before she expertly hid it.

"I'm starting to think you're following me." She retorted, glancing over at Marcel to see him taking a drink from his glass as he stifled a laugh and looked between them.

"Join us." Klaus offered, but it sounded almost like more of an order than just a friendly offer. Either way, she was determined to try and keep her distance from him.

She'd came to New Orleans to learn about her family, practice magic and get away from the town her parent's were murdered in –not for any kind of romance, or even a fling.

"Actually…" She breathed, preparing her excuse, "I sort of bailed on college and never studied abnormal psychology… I don't think I'd be any help."

"You heard that, huh?" Marcel questioned, glancing back over to the door where he'd watch Cami leave only moments before.

"That complete and utter failure… yeah, I heard it all." She laughed tucking her brunette hair behind her ears as she glanced around, wishing her sister had stayed so they could have left together because now she felt sort of awkward leaving and even more awkward standing next to their table, moving out of the way whenever someone walked past.

Bringing his glass to his lips, Klaus paused as he admitted, "I daresay I've lost my touch." When he saw Marcel laugh he cocked his head to the side and added, "Or you've lost yours."

Mara looked between them, hoping they might not realize if she just slowly slipped away from the table. She took a small step backwards, but stopped when Marcel looked at Klaus and then to her as he held out his hand and introduced himself, "I'm Marcel."

"Mara." She replied, offering a smile as she reached forward to shake his hand. But the second her skin touched his, she was overwhelmed by a feeling of coldness and death.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she dropped his hand and stared at him wide eyed.

"You alright, love?" Klaus questioned, his eyes glued to her as he slightly shook his head back and forth –barely enough of a gesture for her to even see. As if he were telling her to not say anything.

"I'm fine." She stammered over her excuse with a nervous laugh, "Sorry, that was so rude of me… I just… I'm not feeling well, I think I might have eaten something bad."

Her heart beat painfully fast against her ribcage from fear and her hands were now ice cold and clammy, wiping her palms on her jeans she nodded and tossed a friendly smile at Marcel when he asked her if she was okay.

Before the friends could say much else she excused herself and darted towards the door and straight across the street, nearly getting mowed down by a car when she did. The driver slammed on his brakes and angrily honked the horn at her, she turned around and gave him the middle finger as she got the sidewalk opposite from the restaurant.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She knew vampires made up some of the population of New Orleans, but she thought she wouldn't have to worry about them through the daytime or that they'd somehow be easy to spot –despite the fact that Erik made it very clear to both her and her sister that they were everywhere, and always watching.

Pulling in another breath through her trembling lips, she tried to assure herself that she was okay and probably just survived her first vampire encounter.

She'd never had that happen to her before when she'd touched anyone, it was an overwhelming feeling of death and bone chilling coldness. The only reason she could determine for that was that Marcel had to be a vampire and apparently Klaus knew and silently warned her to stay quiet.

Her eyes drifted back up to the large windows of the restaurant and she held her breath as she saw Klaus was watching her through the glass, their eyes locked and he gave a small nod.

Turning around she walked away from the restaurant as fast as she could, apparently humans and vampire's weren't as easy to tell apart as she'd assumed they'd be. Which mean any person she'd passed on the street could be one, shaking her head she reasoned that Klaus might be a vampire too.

After all he seemed to know that Marcel was and he hadn't been the least bit rattled when he'd saw her using magic in the bar where they'd first met.

When she'd learned vampires and werewolves were real; she was as excited as her sister was scared by the news. And truthfully she was still excited about being in New Orleans and learning everything she could about magic and the supernatural, but now there was an uneasy feeling rising in her stomach. A feeling of dread like she'd just stumbled across something she wasn't supposed to; a sense of a storm brewing on the horizon and now she felt like she was walking right into it.

••• **The next day •••**

The next day, Emmalin stepped out of the shower and dried herself off. After changing into a pair of blue jean shorts and a nice top, she walked out of the shared bathroom and walked past her sister's bedroom, seeing her sitting in the middle of the bed reading from her grimoire.

Emmalin stepped into the bedroom, as she flashed her a smile, and said,"Hey."

"Hey." Mara said back, as she looked up from the book.

"Learn anything?" Emmalin questioned, as she nodded toward the grimoire sitting in her sister's lap.

"I learned to do this." Mara said, as she snapped her finger, causing all the candles in her room to light up.

Emmalin blew out a surprised chuckle, as she stepped further into the room and glanced around at all the burning candles. "That is amazing! How did you do that?" She asked.

"Cause I'm awesome." Mara answered, as she sat up on her knees with a grin on her face. When her sister playfully rolled her eyes, she chuckled then added,"You just have to envision the flame, see the spark in your mind. Then when you're ready for it to go out..." She snapped again, causing the candles to blow out. "You just envision the flame going out."

"That is seriously amazing, Mar." Emmalin happily said to her twin. Seeing a rose in a vase by her sister's bed, she remembered the spell she and Kaleb did recently. "Oh! Look at what I learned." She announced, as she walked over to the bedside table.

She removed the rose from the vase and pulled the petals off, then laid them in the palm of her hand the way Kaleb did. She looked down at the petals, concentrating on trying to make them move, then groaned out in frustration when nothing happened.

"Calm down, Emmy and just concentrate." Mara softly said, trying to help her sister.

"I am!" Emmalin stated. "I'm imagining them floating from my hand, but it's not working. I don't get it! It worked with..." Her voice trailed off when she realized what she was about to say.

"With who?" Mara asked with raised eyebrows.

"No one." Emmalin mumbled, as she glanced down at her hand, lightly touching one of the petals.

"Emmy..."

"There was this guy-" Emmalin began to say until Mara gasped and jumped off of her bed. "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't explore a cemetery alone. I knew there had to be a boy involved."

Emmalin chuckled at her sister, as she said,"He's name is Kaleb, we talked for a little bit, then he helped me with a spell. It's no big deal."

"Your red cheeks say otherwise." Mara teased, when she saw her sister blushing.

"Okay, maybe it can be a big deal, but now is not the time for that." Emmalin stated. "We're here to learn and to train, not get caught up in boy drama."

"Yeah, but, Emmy if you like this boy-"

"I don't... I can't." Emmalin said. "I mean, I've only known him for, like, five minutes. I can't- I can't like him." She added, as he crossed her mind. She couldn't think about his bright blue eyes and how much she enjoyed staring in them. She couldn't think about how she would love to run her hands through his curly hair, and she definitely couldn't think about his lips or that cocky smile he gave her.

"Emmy..." Mara breathed out, trying to get her sister's attention.

Thinking she was going to disagree with her, she shook her head, as she said,"Seriously, Mara, I can't-"

"No, look." Mara said, as she nodded her head toward her hand.

Emmalin glanced over at her hand and breathed out in surprise when she saw the rose petals were levitating just like they did when she was with Kaleb at the cemetery.

"Looks like you got it." Mara said with a smile. She had a feeling the spell worked, not cause her sister was concentrating, but cause she was thinking about the boy she swears she couldn't like.

"It's great, huh?" Emmalin asked excitedly, as the petals floating around them. When Mara nodded her head, she lowered her hand, causing the petals to fall to the floor.

Mara glanced down at the floor for a moment, then looked back at her sister, as she stated,"You're sweeping that up, by the way."

"Or you can leave them, let it set a romantic mood." Emmalin suggested, as she took a few steps back, trying to get out of cleaning up the petals.

"Nuh-uh. You are cleaning." Mara said, as she pointed at her sister.

"I was about to go on a sweets run, then maybe do some exploring, so-"

"So, you're not getting out of this, Em." Mara interrupted. She held up a finger, telling her sister to wait for a second, as she left the room for a moment. She walked back in with a broom in her hand, then handed it to her sister, as she said,"Here you go! You sweep and I'll go explore."

"This is so not fair." Emmalin mumbled, as she began to sweep up the petals.

"Pick a better spell next time, sis." Mara joked, as she began to walk toward the bedroom door. She turned around for a second, as she added,"Have fun sweeping and no broom flying."

"Ha-ha-ha." Emmalin said back, mocking her, causing Mara to laugh as she left the bedroom.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to the ones who gave the first chapter a chance. I hope you like the second chapter as well. Thank you to the faves and follows. Also special thanks to xxxRena, original witch and Guest for reviewing.**


	3. House of the Rising Son - Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 3 - House of the Rising Son - Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin left the house and walked down the sidewalk, heading for the small coffee shop, Jumpin' Beans Cafe, that was located near their house. She had been there a couple of times since the girls moved to town. She liked the place, it had a homey feel to it. She wasn't much of a coffee drinker, but she still loved the smell of it. She picked this place cause she was quickly becoming obsessed with their white hot chocolate.

She walked into the building, smiling at the few people who were sitting around enjoying their cup of coffee, before she got in line to order her drink. She glanced down at her phone, planning to send Mara a text to see where she was, seeing if she could catch up with her and they explore together, but before she could type out a message, she heard a familiar voice coming from behind her.

"We meet again, Pretty Girl."

Emmalin grinned, feeling a fluttering in her stomach, as she turned around and saw Kaleb standing behind her. "Hey." She breathed out, happy to see him. She told her sister earlier, she couldn't like him, and she meant that, but that didn't mean she couldn't be happy to see him, right? There was no harm in talking to him. Maybe they could even become friends.

"Have you been staying out of trouble?" Kaleb questioned her, as he took a step closer to her.

"I have." Emmalin said smiling. "Besides, I'm not much of a rule breaker."

Seeing something in her hair, he reached out to pull a rose petal from her hair, as he asked,"You sure about that?"

"That's not- I wasn't practicing out in the open." Emmalin explained. She took the petal from his hand, as she added,"I was just showing my sister, you know, the spell that you showed me."

"You showed her?" Kaleb questioned. As she nodded her head, he added,"Well since you can do it on your own, I guess you don't need me anymore then."

When he turned, like he was going to leave, Emmalin reached out to grab his arm, surprising herself and feeling a spark again, as she softly said,"I never said that."

"Good to hear, love." Kaleb said back with a grin, as he turned back to face her. He nodded his head toward the counter, as he asked,"Want to get a drink together?"

Emmalin bit her bottom lip for a moment, knowing she should decline the offer, but there was a bigger part of her that didn't want to. She smiled at him, as she nodded her head, accepting the offer.

The two made small talk as they got closer to the counter, then he gave his order and she order a white hot chocolate, causing Kaleb to look at her until she asked him what.

"You come to a coffee shop to order hot chocolate?" He asked with a chuckle. "While it is sunny and warm outside, might I add."

"I love hot chocolate and I have a major sweet tooth." Emmalin explained with a shrug.

"You're a bit of a loon, but I like it." Kaleb said with a smile. As she chuckled at his comment, he added,"But if you love white chocolate, I know what you need."

When she shot him a confused look, he called out to one of the workers behind the counter, telling them to add a white chocolate muffin to their order. After they got their order, he nodded toward the door, asking her to follow him, as the two made their way outside.

He handed her the drink she order, then pulled out the muffin, as he said,"Do you like macadamia nuts?" As she nodded her head, he added,"You'll love this then."

He went to hand it to her, then pulled back, as he said,"But in order to have it, you'll have to agree to spend the day with me. Go where I go, no questions asked."

"How do I know you're not going to take me somewhere and murder me?" Emmalin questioned, as she shot him a look.

"Just trust me." Kaleb softly said, as he caught her eyes.

She smiled at his words, remembering when he said the some thing last time. She let out a small chuckle, as she shook her head and asked,"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked confused.

"Anytime you say that, I instantly trust you." Emmalin admitted. She cocked her head to side, as she asked,"You're not doing some crazy voodoo on me, are you?"

"No." He said with a laugh. "I would never do that to you."

"How do I know that is the truth?" She questioned.

Kaleb smirked, as he took a step toward her, then softly said,"You'll have to trust me." Seeing the look on her face, knowing that she did, he grinned, as he handed her the muffin, before saying,"Let's go, Pretty Girl. I'll be your tour guide for the day."

"Where are we going?" Emmalin asked, as she took a bite of the muffin, trying not to groan at how good it tasted, but a small little noise still escaped her lips, causing Kaleb to turn his head and look at her.

"It's good, isn't it?" He questioned.

"So good." Emmalin moaned, as she took another bite. After she swallowed the food, she asked again,"So where are we going?"

"Uh-uh, we had a deal. No questions." Kaleb pointed out. He held out his hand for her to take, as he questioned,"Trust me?"

Emmalin stood still for a moment, knowing what she should do, but instead of doing what was right, she went with her heart and laid her hand in his, feeling the spark again, as she whispered out,"Trust you."

••• ••• •••

Mara was headed home after a day of being out and enjoying the city, her fear and anxiety after her encounter with Marcel had passed and she hadn't even told her sister about it.

Partially because she didn't want to worry her and also because she wasn't a hundred percent sure that it was a vampire encounter. Either way; she'd meant to be in the safety of her house by the time the sun went down, but she'd lost track of time and was now scrambling home after dark.

It was a quiet night down the empty street she was taking, the only sound was the thudding of her fast paced walking against the cement sidewalk. Normally she'd have earbuds in, but she knew she needed to remain alert.

Looking up she saw someone sitting on a bench and slowed to a stop, after a few cautious steps forward she realized it was a woman –which eased her mind slightly until she heard some rusting in the nearby trees.

Ducking around one of the large tree trunks nearby, she fearfully peeked around until she saw the woman from the bench was now standing and facing a guy who'd almost seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Reaching behind her she pulled the hood up on her dark, thin jacket and zipped it up, tucking her hands in the front pockets as she took a deep breath and moved closer in hopes she could sneak past them and continue on her way home.

As she edged closer she heard him say, "Dumb move coming into the quarter… you're coming with me, wolf."

Mara held back a gasp as she realized the woman must be a werewolf and the guy was a vampire.

She fearfully looked around, hoping to see somewhere to duck back out of sight but there wasn't anything near her. Swallowing hard she kept her head down and started to cross the street until she saw movement out of the corner of her eye when a fight started to break out.

The vampire yelled in pain as the werewolf splashed her drink on his face and turned to run but was stopped by two other men who jumped in her way.

Mara's mouth and throat felt agonizingly dry as she watched the standoff, the smart thing to do would be to turn a blind eye and sneak away from them, she was an inexperienced witch and had no business getting involved.

Any sane person standing in her shoes would have done just that, fled the scene and the female wolf to fend for herself.

With a heavy, burned sigh Mara raced over to them when the vampire that had been briefly incapacitated was back on his feet and sneaking up on the woman they'd surrounded.

Raising her hand with her palm towards the vampire she closed her eyes and concentrated, speaking quietly under her breath as she quickly brought the vampire to his knees –screaming in pain as he held onto his head.

"What are you doing?" The werewolf gasped, then backed away from the other vampires who'd started for Mara. Glancing over, she raised her other hand towards them and hit them with the same spell as she looked at the woman and quickly said, "Go, run!"

"I'm not leaving-" She started to say but her words were cut by the sickening sound of snapping bone as one of the vampires fell to the ground motionless.

Mara stopped her spell and stared in shock as a blonde, female vampire reached into the chest of the other one and pulled their heart right from their body.

The third vampire she'd been keeping subdued started to his feet until the werewolf brought her elbow back and hit him with such force he fell to the ground unconscious.

"That's no way to treat a pregnant girl." The vampire said, her accent was thick and reminded Mara of someone else she'd had several encounters with since she'd arrived in town.

Looking between the witch and the werewolf, the vampire added, "I do hate bad manners." With that she dropped the heart to the ground and Mara choked her dinner back down and took a fearful step backwards on unsteady legs.

"Who are you?" The blonde asked, with her head cocked to side. She'd heard about witches being banned from practicing magic in the quarter and knew that breaking rule resulted in a death sentence.

"Mara." She managed to speak, despite her state of shock, fear and confusion. "Who are you?"

"Rebekah." She replied, with a smile at the girls bravery. Then her eyes fell to the outside pocket of Mara's purse where she saw some napkins and questioned, "May I?"

Nodding Mara pulled some of them out and reached out handing them to Rebekah who got to work on wiping the blood from her hand.

"I'm Hayley, by the way." The werewolf finally spoke, drawing her attention.

"Oh…" Mara breathed, not sure what was going on and still in shock.

"Thanks for that." She added with a small, appreciative smile.

Rebekah's phone went off from her pocket and she answered it while Mara looked to Hayley and pointed out, "I thought all the werewolves were run out of New Orleans."

"And I thought witches weren't allowed to practice magic." She retorted, before she pointed out, "You're bleeding."

Mara reached up and touched her nose bringing her hand back to see some blood on it, quickly she used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe it away.

Her mind was racing almost as fast as her heart and she had no idea what was going on or if she was even going to make it out alive.

"Well." Rebekah sighed, lowering her phone from her ear, "Prepare yourself; Nik's not happy."

Her attention shifted to Mara as she shakily asked, "Who's that?"

"You should probably get out of here before…" Her voice trailed off and they all looked over to see a black SUV speeding down the street in their direction.

"Too late now." She simply added, before looking down to the dead vampires on the sidewalk and the to the one that was still unconscious.

As she walked over towards the edge of the sidewalk to greet her brother when the car grew closer.

"Who's Nik?" Mara whispered, as she moved to Hayley's side and continued to wipe away the dripping blood from her nose –a sign she'd used too much magic too quickly.

Hayley looked down to her stomach and instinctively placed a hand over it as she breathed, "It's a long story…"

When she saw Klaus get out of the car and start yelling at Rebekah, Mara's eyebrows lowered in confusion before she realized what was happening.

Klaus was indeed a vampire but not just any vampire, he was an original and the werewolf she'd just saved was carrying the miracle baby that had the supernatural world in such an uproar.

"You…" Mara gasped, looking down to Hayley's stomach, "The miracle baby?"

"God, I am so sick of people saying that." She groaned shaking her head.

When he heard the familiar voice, Klaus stopped yelling at sister and looked over to Mara who was staring back at him. The look on her face showed she was quickly piecing things together.

"What are you doing here?" He angrily yelled, but his question sounded more like an accusation and didn't ease her mind in the slightest.

"She helped me when the vampires showed up." Hayley announced before walking over and getting into the passenger seat of the car, feeling completely exhausted from the day.

"It's true." Rebekah added, "She kept them at bay until I showed up."

Klaus looked down to the dead vampires, knowing Marcel was suspicious enough he didn't need any more vampires dying or disappearing. Seeing the disembodied heart on the ground he looked at his younger sister, "This is your handiwork, no doubt."

"Come on, Nik… you know how I am about manners." She responded with a smirk as she watched him open the back hatch of the SUV and start to load up the two dead vampires.

Mara looked around, deciding it was now or never with being able to flee. If the horror movies and crime shows she'd grown up watching taught her anything it was that when somebody sees too much, they end up dead.

While Klaus and Rebekah continued to argue over the dead vampires, Mara slowly started to walk away but was quickly brought to a stop when the only surviving vampire from the attack jumped to his feet and grabbed the terrified teenage witch.

Before she could respond of even let out a scream for help, her back collided violently with a tall, wide brick fence post lining the sidewalk behind her and she saw his eyes darken and his face change before his fangs extended and he lowered his head to her neck.

Tears burnt her eyes as she clamped them shut and expected the next moments to be filled with agonizing pain but nothing happened.

Slowly she cracked one eye open to see it wasn't her attacker in front of her anymore, it was Klaus watching her intently as she looked down to the ground to see the vampire either dead or unconscious again –she couldn't tell which.

The next few moments passed in a blur with Klaus getting the last vampire loaded into the back and saying something to her which she couldn't quite understand through her remaining state of shock.

In fact, she was only vaguely aware of the feeling of a hand on her arm just above her elbow until Klaus opened the back door of the car and pushed her towards the seat.

Coming back to her senses, she jerked her arm away from him and said, "What are you doing?"

"Saving your life." He admitted, knowing Marcel had a way of knowing when magic was used in the quarter and they'd have mere minutes until his vampires showed up to inspect and find the guilty witch, "Again." He added with a slight smirk as he nodded to the car where the vampire bodies were in the back.

"Get in." He instructed.

"No." She argued as she started to walk away, thinking that she'd had enough vampire problems for that night. Not to mention encountered her first werewolf and came within seconds of being killed.

"It wasn't a friendly offer, love."

Her eyebrows lowered in confused but before she could respond he grabbed her arm and didn't give her a choice as he pushed her into the car and shut the door behind her before quickly getting into the driver's seat and speeding off.

Swallowing hard, Mara looked up catching his gaze in the rearview mirror for a moment before she looked to see Hayley in the passenger seat and Rebekah in the other middle seat beside her.

Looking over her shoulder into the back of the SUV, she saw the three bodies and blew out a pained breath. For the first time since she and her twin sister had packed up and left everything they knew behind she felt like this was a bad idea, a stupid, risky dangerous idea and now she couldn't even remember why on earth she'd gotten the idea to run off to New Orleans.

Raising her sleeve to her nose she wiped another small trace of blood away and tried to ignore the pounding in her head from using such a strong spell to subdue the attackers. Nervously she rubbed her clammy palms on her jeans and hoped that somehow she'd made it out of this situation alive.

••• ••• •••

After spending several hours with Kaleb, Emmalin walked toward the house she and Mara shared with a huge grin on her face. Kaleb was the perfect type of guy; he was charming, smart, funny and not to mention the way he made her feel when she was near him, but she knew she had to tread carefully.

With everything going on, she still knew now was not a good time to get involved with someone, but the more she was around him, she was running out of reasons not to like him. He was even sweet enough to offer to walk her home, but she declined. That made it seem too much like a date, and it was not a date. It could not be a date.

She unlocked the front door and walked into the silent house. Apparently Mara was still out for the night. She hated being in the house alone, but hoped her sister would arrive home soon. Until then she decided to change into one of her most comfortable pajamas and watch a sappy romantic movie until she came home.

She walked past Mara's bedroom, heading for hers, until something made her come to a stop. She noticed the lamp by her bed was on and she knew she never turned it on when she was sweeping up the rose petals earlier.

She cautiously walked into the room, feeling her heart race as she noticed a few more things that were wrong. Like the fact that the broom was in a different place than where she left it and one of her dresser drawers was opened a crack.

Emmalin backed out of the room into the hall, her breathing labored as she feared someone had been in the house. The first thought in her mind was what if they still were in the house?

She took a few steps toward her bedroom, peeking inside and noticed her closet door was barely open and she knew it was closed when she left. She always closed her closet door. It was a habit she had since she was young. She was always scared if she kept her closet door open, then scary spirits would escape and come after her. As she got older, she realized that was a crazy thing to think, but out of habit she always kept the door closed.

She knew she should check her room more, maybe even check the closet for an intruder, but she couldn't do it. She was too scared to do it alone.

Taking a deep breath, trying to control her racing heart, she slipped her hand in her bag and pulled out her cell phone to call the first person that crossed her mind.

"Missed me already, Pretty Girl?" Kaleb smooth voice said over the phone. When he saw her calling him, he couldn't stop a grin from appearing on his face. Even after spending hours with her, he couldn't wait to spend more time with her. He didn't think he could ever grow tired of her. There was just something about her that drew him in.

Hearing his voice, she blew out a breath, she instantly felt calm. She didn't know why he had that effect over her, but some how deep down she knew that was exactly why she called him.

She bit her bottom lip for a moment, before a smile appeared on her face. "No, I uh, I just wanted to call and thank you for today. It was fun."

"It was fun, but I have a feeling that's not that reason you called." Kaleb said. He could hear it in her voice that something was wrong. "Talk to me, love, what's going on?"

"I..." She began to say, then let out a nervous chuckle, before adding,"Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I think someone was in the house."

"Is anything missing?" Kaleb questioned. as he slipped on a pair of shoes and headed from the front door of his apartment.

"I-I don't think so... I mean, I don't know, I haven't checked." She quietly admitted, as she back down the hallway and made her way back toward the living room. "Honestly, I uh, I was too scared to even search the house." She blew out a breath, as she added,"I know I'm being stupid and childish, but-"

"No, you're not, love." He interrupted. "Trust your gut, trust yourself. What do you think happened?"

Emmalin closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, she could feel it in her bones. Something was wrong, someone was there. Something that may want to cause harm to her and her sister.

She opened her eyes, as she breathed out,"Someone was here." She felt her stomach drop and wrapped her free arm around herself. She couldn't believe something like this would happen.

She glanced around the homey living room, wishing she wasn't alone. She gripped the phone in her hand, as she softly said,"Kaleb, can you uh... would you-"

"I'm already on the way, Pretty Girl." Kaleb interrupted, knowing she didn't want to be alone.

"Thank you." She whispered, relieved he was on his way.

"I'll be right there." Kaleb said, as he walked down the sidewalk heading in the area where her house was located. "You won't be alone for long, okay?"

"Okay." Emmalin said back with a smile. She thanked him again, then ended the call. He offered to stay on the line with her until he got there, but she told him it would be okay. At least she hoped so.

She paced back and forth, waiting for him to get there, until she heard a noise behind her, causing her to spin around with wide eyes. The noise was coming from near the front door.

She wanted to run and hide, but she was already being a big baby. She even called a boy she barely knew so she wouldn't be alone, but she could do this... she could investigate a noise. She was a witch for crying out loud. She didn't know many spells yet, but she should be able to do something, right?

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to the ones who are reading and to the ones adding this story. Special thanks to Guest, Guest, xxxRena, Guest and original witch for reviewing. **


	4. House of the Rising Son - Part 3

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 4 - House of the Rising Son - Part 3**

••• ••• •••

Several minutes later, Mara timidly peered out of the car window as Klaus pulled up outside of a beautiful, large house. If she wasn't still literally shaking with fear and weakness from using magic, she might have appreciated it better.

Sadly, after the events of the day –mainly the events from the last hour, all she could do was wonder if this would be the place where she'd die.

Once the car was parked, she followed suit and got out with everyone else. Pausing briefly beside her still open door when she was face to face with Klaus as he exited the driver's seat.

Avoiding his gaze she scurried past him and towards the house where Hayley and now Rebekah were standing, she came to a stop by the werewolf and turned to see Klaus slam the door shut that she'd left open before he proceeded to unload the bodies from the back hatch and lecture, "This is why I told you never to leave the house. Werewolves are banned in the quarter, I had a plan and your little nighttime stroll put it all in peril."

Mara's brown eyes widened as she watched Klaus drop the bodies to hood of the car. Shaking her head, she considered this had to be some terrible nightmare because this just doesn't happen in real life. This sort of stuff _shouldn't_ happen.

The vampire who'd tried to attack Mara, groaned in pain as he tried to move from the car where he was laying under the bodies of his deceased friends.

Rebekah started towards the car on a mission to finish what she'd started earlier and kill the remaining survivor but abruptly stopped when Klaus angrily shouted, "Leave him!"

Jumping from his voice, Mara wrapped her arms around herself and looked around the dark yard as an eerie silence set in and she was sure that even the bugs were scared to make a sound after his outburst.

"You've done enough, don't you think?" He questioned his sister in a quieter voice before accusing, "Leaving a trail of bodies like a roadmap to my door?"

"if I hadn't heard this lot bragging about werewolf heads, everyone here would be screwed. And don't give me that crap about having a plan. You've had all the time in the world to execute a plan and no one's seen you do a damn thing!" She yelled back at him.

Mara glanced at Hayley before deciding she was going to slip away from the scene in front of her. Not only was she still unconvinced she wasn't in danger, but now she felt awkward –like she was witnessing a part of a conversation she wasn't supposed to hear. Some sort of family drama she wanted no part of.

But she'd barely taken three steps when Klaus' voice cut the night, now directed at her as he questioned, "And where do you think you're off to?"

"I, uh…" She stuttered, before pulling in a deep breath and realizing that if he wanted her dead there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. He was an original, one of the few beings that could not be killed and even if he could she was fresh out of the juice she needed to perform magic.

Sighing she folded her arms over her chest and admitted, "This has nothing to do with me… I'm going home."

"No, it _had_ nothing to do with you. That was until you tried to get yourself a death sentence tonight by doing a spell within the quarter!" He argued with her, catching her off guard with how angry he seemed at her.

Shaking his head as he added, "As if you weren't almost entirely obvious the other day in front of Marcel."

"Hush, Nik." Rebekah cut in as she reminded him, "We're lucky she showed up when she did, she saved Hayley and _your_ child. Apparently a child that you don't seem to care about! Elijah made a deal so that he could save you from your selfish, rotten self! But apparently you don't give a damn about Elijah either, because what have you done to honor that deal?"

"I've done everything!" He shouted at her, before launching in explanation of defense.

"Who's Elijah?" Mara whispered to Hayley as the siblings continued to fight in the front yard of the house.

"Their brother." She answered with a frown, "One day he's making promises and the next he was gone." She put a hand over her stomach and thought back to what she'd done to start the disaster the night had ended up in.

She'd gone into the quarter looking for an herb; wolfsbane. One bad stomach ache and the entire situation would be over for her, but she wasn't entirely sure that's what she wanted anymore.

When she heard a pained groan, Mara looked back over to see Klaus was now dragging the barely alive vampire towards the house. Explaining to his sister that he intended to drain him of vervain and compel him to have a guy inside of Marcel's trusted circle.

She lingered in the doorway as everyone else went inside of the house; she was beginning to see that she wasn't being held there against her will but also wasn't sure if she was allowed to leave either. So she remained silent, watching as Klaus demanded that Hayley tell him what she was doing in the quarter.

Mara couldn't help but gasp when the werewolf yelled back, "I was buying poison to put your baby out of it's misery!"

Before anyone could react, Klaus had her pinned against the wall by her neck, steadily cutting off her air supply.

"Nik, get your hands off her. She is pregnant for godsake!" Rebekah shrieked at him and Mara stood paralyzed from everything again. She didn't even know if magic would work on an original and even if it did she couldn't kill him, so he'd likely turn on her. Plus; she'd already risked her own life to save Hayley once that night.

Rebekah turned into a blonde blur as she sprung into action and pushed her brother off the werewolf, as she yelled his name again to bring him to his senses past the blind rage he was in.

Hayley's body dropped to the floor as she gasped for air and coughed in pain.

"Are you okay?" Mara whispered, dropping to the floor beside her. She knew it was a stupid question, but she couldn't find anything else to say.

She knew when she'd first met Klaus that he was the kind of guy she needed to avoid, but she had no idea how true those initial thoughts were. If she'd only known the truth then, she'd have grabbed her sister and fled town.

"All of this bluster about not wanting a child and then the second she tells you she's ready to get rid of it…" Rebekah's sentence trailed off as she sighed heavily and shook her head.

The only sound left in the house were Hayley's still frantic gasps for air. Mara glanced around trying to locate the kitchen before she quickly raced for it and filled a glass half full of water and returned to wounded werewolf's aid.

Nodding in thanks Hayley brought the glass to her lips and took a drink, letting the cold water soothe her aching, burning throat. Mara kept a close eye on her as she listened to Rebekah telling her brother, "It's okay to care. It's okay to want something. That was all Elijah was trying to do… all he's ever wanted for you. All we've ever wanted."

Once she was sure Hayley was okay and she helped her to her feet, Mara looked over her shoulder to see Rebekah sit down on the large stair case and Klaus stood in place.

His formerly angry expression was gone and had been replaced with a broken look, she was sure there were even tears in his eyes. And suddenly the most monstrous of them all –seemed more human than most.

A thought that haunted her thoughts more than she'd care to admit as she silently left the house and started her journey home, flagging the first cab she spotted.

••• ••• •••

Hearing another noise, Emmalin blew out a breath, then took a few steps toward the front door. She grabbed the baseball bat that Mara kept by the front door and raised it above her head. With her heart racing and her hands shaking, she reached out with her free hand and jerked the door open.

She swung the bat and let out a small scream until she realized it was her Uncle Erik. She couldn't stop the bat in time, but thankfully he was fast enough to grab it with his hand to stop it.

Emmalin released the bat, as her hands flew up to cover her mouth in shock. She removed them, then cried out,"Oh, my God! Uncle Erik, I am so sorry."

"It's okay." Erik said with an understanding smile. He handed the bat back to her, as he added,"It's nice to see that you two can protect yourself if needed." He let out a small chuckle, as he added,"But you do remember you are a witch, right? I'll teach you some simple spells to use against an intruder."

As she gave him a smile to thank him, he added,"Although I am curious why you were trying to attack me with a bat?"

"I'm sorry about that, I just-I think someone was in our house." Emmalin admitted.

"What? Are you serious?" Erik asked with a concern look. "Do you need to me to look around? Did you call the cops?"

"No, I didn't call, I-I'm not even sure if someone was in the house. I just think someone was." Emmalin explained. She would hate to call the cops and be wrong. Plus they would probably laugh at her if she told them she had a feeling someone was in there. "And it doesn't seem like anything is missing, so maybe it was just my imagination."

"Where's your sister?" Erik questioned.

"She's out." Emmalin answered.

"Do you want me to stay with you until she gets home?" He offered.

"No, it's okay. I called a friend to come over." Emmalin said with a smile, as Kaleb crossed her mind.

"Are you sure you are okay though?" Erik asked. When she nodded her head, he stepped forward to hug her and kissed the side of her head.

She thanked him for coming by to check on them and then watched as he turned around to walk away. She shut the front door, releasing a breath and starting to wonder if she did overreact earlier. As she walked over to the couch to sit down, she realized she never asked Erik why he was there. He never gave a reason to why he was stopping by.

She shook her head, realizing she was starting to sound like Mara. He must have just came by to check on them.

As Erik walked down the porch steps, he felt his cell phone vibrating and pulled it out to answer.

"I need your help, mate." He heard Klaus say.

"Of course, Klaus, what do you need?" Erik questioned.

"I need your witchy nieces to do a spell for me." Klaus said, knowing the only way he could find his brother was by a locator spell.

"I'm assuming you have a plan in mind so they don't get caught." Erik said, not wanting his nieces to get in trouble with Marcel.

"Of course. You know me, mate, I always have a plan." Klaus said with a smirk.

"You got it then. I'll make sure they are ready." Erik said, as he ended the call.

He turned his head to look at his niece's house from over his shoulder, a smile on his face before he turned and continued to walk away.

••• ••• •••

"Thanks again for coming over." Emmalin gratefully said to Kaleb as she stood from the small table and carried their empty hot chocolate mugs to the sink, as she set them down with a small clank she picked up her phone and frowned when she didn't see anything from her sister. For almost an hour now she'd had a knot in her stomach and felt extremely anxious which surprised her because she was normally nothing but calm around Kaleb –which lead her to believe it may be her twin sister's anxiety she was experiencing.

"I'm glad you called me." He assured her, as he looked around the kitchen of the house. As soon as he'd got there, after checking on Emmalin, he'd searched the entire house and didn't find anyone there –but he believed her and it concerned him to see how upset she was.

Turning to face him she smiled as she leaned back against the counter and shook her head, "I just feel…" Her voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words, "I'm eighteen, you know? Old enough to move away from everything I knew and rent a house, old enough to have credit cards in my own name… but my first night here when Mara gets home late, I had to call someone over."

"You didn't call me because your sister was late, love. You called me because someone had been in your house." Kaleb reasoned, his eyebrows furrowing as he saw her check her phone again before she dropped it to the counter with a sigh.

Crossing the room she sat back down at the table with him and smiled softly as she said, "Mara should be here any minute, it's really late so if you want to head home-"

She didn't even get to finish what she was saying as he cut her off and said, "I told you I was staying here until she got home, I don't want you alone here."

His eyes lingered on her lips for a moment before he looked back up and their eyes met, running his tongue over his bottom lip he admitted, "And getting to spend more time with you, pretty girl… is always a plus."

Her eyes fluttered shut as she smiled and let out a small laugh. When they opened she became aware of exactly how close their faces were now, as he had a gentle hold on her shaking hands.

Her brown eyes searched his handsome face for a moment as she tried to remind herself that she didn't need to be getting involved with anyone, especially not right now. But despite her internal protests, when he started to lean in closing the distance between them she followed suit already imagining how his lips would feel against her own.

But just before their lips actually met they both pulled back and jumped in surprise when the door to the house flung open and Mara practically raced in through the frame before slamming it shut behind her.

Resting her head against the closed door she pulled in a deep breath and tried to remind herself that she was home, she was safe –even if only for a moment, she could finally breathe.

Turning around her eyes widened as she saw her sister standing next to their table with a guy she didn't recognize, both of them had slightly shocked expressions and neither of them said a word.

Mara's heart was racing inside of her chest from everything that had happened that night, and the entire cab ride home she'd barely held it together but now she needed to keep everything in a little longer.

Flashing them a smile she joked, "Didn't we have some agreement about a sock on the doorknob or something?"

Kaleb lowered his head and let out a small laugh as Emmalin's jaw dropped and she hissed, "Mara!"

Clearing her throat and giving her sister a once over to make sure she was alright, Emmalin said, "Mara… this is Kaleb." Glancing over to him she continued, "This is my sister… obviously."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Kaleb politely said, as he smiled at her before looking over to Emmalin and missing the look on Mara's face before she quickly hid it with a tight smile and agreed, "Likewise… it's great to finally meet the guy Emmy hasn't stopped talking about."

"You talk about me?" Kaleb asked her, unable to stop his smile at her darkened cheeks when Emmalin gave a hopeless attempt at a laugh and said, "I may have mentioned you… once or twice."

Mara watched them closely, she knew her sister told her Kaleb was a witch. But it seemed like anyone else with an accent even close to that was an original vampire. Taking a deep breath and watched the way they were looking at each other, she remembered what happened when she'd touched Marcel and figured out he was a vampire. It was a feeling she never wanted to experience again, but she'd do anything to keep Emmalin safe.

"Thanks for keeping her company while I was out." Mara continued as she stepped up to him and extended her hand.

Emmalin looked at her with a confused expression painting her features; her sister wasn't the type who just walked up and shakes someone's hand.

Kaleb slightly cocked his head to the side when he saw the friendly look in her eyes wasn't quite there anymore. He glanced back at Emmalin, catching the confused look on her face too and wondered what was going on but not wanting to be rude he nodded and shook her hand, his own confusion growing slightly as Mara tightly squeezed his hand and wouldn't let go.

Finally she blew out a relieved breath and smiled at him again, accepting that he was not a vampire. He was a witch, just like her sister said.

He looked down to the blood smears on the sleeve of her jacket and his eyebrows raised in question, seeing what he was looking at –Mara pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest hiding the stained sleeve as she apologized, "I didn't mean to interrupt you guys. I'm just gonna grab a glass of water and I'll be out of your way."

"It's okay. I, uh, I called Kaleb because I got home and some things were moved around… I thought maybe someone was in the house."

"What?" Mara gasped, her brown eyes wide as she nearly dropped the glass she'd gotten from the cabinet onto the tile floor.

"I searched the house top to bottom, didn't find anyone." Kaleb quickly said and Emmalin nodded in agreement before she shot her a sister a questioning look and Mara shot her one right back.

Looking between the sisters, Kaleb spoke up, "Alright, I can take a hint… I'll leave so you two can talk about me."

The sisters laughed in unison and Mara waved bye to Kaleb as her sister walked him to the door. When Emmalin returned she asked, "What was all of that about?"

"All of what?" Mara tried to play innocent as she filled the glass with water and took a drink, avoiding her sisters knowing gaze.

"Like… when have you even been the type to walk up and shake someone's hand?"

"I don't know." Mara sighed, "It's just been a really long day and I'm not really myself."

Nodding Emmalin looked around before she pointed out, "You were out pretty late…"

"Yeah." Mara nodded in agreement, before she looked at Emmalin and asked, "Do you think we made a mistake moving here?"

"I don't know. I mean, at first I thought the idea was crazy… but it seems like Uncle Erik is the only family we've really got left, plus you're right about us needing to learn more about magic –or at least how to control it." Emmalin said.

"Does meeting Kaleb have anything to do with your change of heart?"

Despite her best efforts to not smile, Emmalin's lips turned up at the corners and she shrugged. The connection she'd felt with Kaleb was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and she wanted to explain it –but there was no way to put what she felt into words.

"He seems great." Mara smiled then added, "And he's really cute!"

"Did you see those blue eyes?" Emmalin asked with a dreamy look on her face as she leaned against the counter and rubbed her face.

"How could I miss them?" Mara laughed then stared at her twin for a moment before she asked in a serious tone, "Do you trust him?"

Lowering her head and assuming her sister would chastise her for trusting a stranger right off the bat, she slowly nodded her head and waited for the millions reason as to why trusting someone so soon was a bad idea. But instead her sister caught her off guard as she said, "I'm glad you found him, Em."

"Really?"

"You thought someone was in the house and he rushed right over and stayed with you until I got home. I'm glad you have someone looking out for you." Mara admitted with a smile that hid her sadness and fear. Now that she'd been mixed up in original vampire business she had no idea what would happen next, and if there was something bad coming, like she'd been feeling for a while, she was relieved that if anything happened to her at least Emmalin would have Kaleb.

"We look out for each other, remember?" Emmalin asked, catching a glimpse of her sisters sadness even though she tried to hide it.

"Always have." Mara nodded.

"Always will." Emmalin finished as she stepped forward and hugged her. She had a feeling her twin wasn't telling her the entire story of what happened that day, but she was just glad to have her home safe.

As they stepped back from the embrace, Emmalin asked, "You want to order a movie on cable or something?"

"No, I'm pretty tired… I'll probably just go to bed soon."

Nodding and understanding completely, Emmalin thought of how tired she was too as she said, "Yeah, I think I will too."

As she turned to leave the room she nodded to the sink and said, "Oh, don't forget it's your turn to wash dishes."

Mara's gaze fell to the sink where there were a set of hot chocolate stained mugs with melted marshmallow residue lining the top and laughed, "But this is your mess!"

"Goodnight, Mar." Emmalin called over her shoulder with a chuckle.

"Night, Em." She replied before she pulled her jacket off and started the hot water as she reached up into tray hanging from the cabinet to retrieve the dish soap.

As she got to work as washing the mugs, her mind drifted back to everything that had happened that day. She'd almost been killed, but what was haunting her thoughts the most was the broken expression on Klaus' face right before she left the house.

Pinning her eyes shut she commanded herself to stop thinking of him. Not only was he an original, but he was also the father of the 'miracle baby' and even though he and Hayley didn't seem to be together, there was obviously something there at some point and clearly it was a mess of its own that she needed no part of.

After drying the cups and returning them to the correct cabinet, Mara retired to her room where she was left completely alone with her thoughts and memories of that day.

Tears welled in her eyes and she didn't even bother trying to hold them back as she slid down the back of her closed door until she landed on her floor and put her head in her hands. She didn't know why she was crying, whether it was relief that she hadn't died that day after being so sure her time was over, or if it was the loss of her parents finally starting to hit her.

Pulling her knees up to her chest and trying to control her breathing as more tears coated her cheeks she considered it was probably a combination of it all, on top of being completely exhausting and over-exerting herself from using magic. As much as she hated to admit it, she was scared.

Scared that she'd seen too much and was now a problem that needed to be eliminated for the vampires, scared that with being the dark twin and practicing dark magic that she'd turn into something bad. Most of all she was terrified that something might happen to Emmalin. This entire thing was her fault, it was her idea to track down Erik, her idea to put college plans on hold and run off to New Orleans –in her mind it was all on her and if something bad happened to either of them, it would be her fault.

There were very few things she was absolutely sure of, one of them being that if they had any chance at survival she and Emmalin needed to get a handle on their magic and learn as many spells as possible in a short time. The other was that she needed to avoid Klaus and any other vampire at all costs.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - I want to say thank you to all the new favorites and follows. Thank you to everyone for giving this story a chance. There is a lot of great things planned for it. I also want to give a special thanks to the original witch, CherryBlosoms016, NicoleR85, xxxRena and LeeAnn for reviewing.**


	5. Tangled up in Blue - Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 5 - Tangled up in Blue - Part 1**

••• ••• •••

"Thanks for breakfast." Emmalin gratefully said, as she and her sister sat in their uncle's house at the table in the large dining room.

"You're welcome." Erik replied with a smile as he watched Mara collect the empty plates and drop them in the sink before returning to the table and nodding, "Yeah, thanks. It was really good, but I'm a little confused as to why you showed up at our house at the crack of dawn to bring us here so we could have breakfast together."

"She's not a morning person." Emmalin apologized for her sister who shot her a look.

"I'm really getting used to having you both here and even though I see you daily, I still feel like we don't get to spend enough time together." He admitted and Emmalin nodded with a smile as she whole-heartedly agreed; being around him reminded her of her father.

"Unfortunately, today this was for more than just a friendly breakfast." He admitted and Mara gave her sister an 'I told you so' look.

"As you both know… witches aren't the only supernaturals in New Orelans-" He started to explain but Emmalin nodded and cut in, "Vampires, right? Because all of the werewolves were eradicated?"

"Right." He nodded then looked between them as he sighed, "Not just the Cromwell line, but witches in general have a habit of getting pulled into vampire business… despite all of our best efforts not to get tangled up in it."

"What are you saying?" Mara pushed.

"I'm saying that sometimes for the greater good, we have to form alliances with others who we wouldn't normally associate with." He continued.

"For the greater good?" Mara asked with raised eyebrows with a knowing expression.

Erik gave her a hard stare before admitting, "Sometimes yes, but other times… it's simply to save our own asses."

"Enemy of my enemy?" Emmalin guessed and Erik nodded in agreement with her.

"This time, yes." He admitted as he stood up and motioned for his twin nieces to follow him. Emmalin was right on his tail while Mara lingered behind them, thinking this was the last early morning breakfast she'd ever agree to.

As they walked into the room, Mara looked up to see Klaus standing near the large fireplace and before she could stop herself she muttered under her breath, "You've got be freaking kidding me…"

It wasn't even an entire twelve hours prior that she'd sworn to herself that she'd stay away from him.

"What?" Emmalin asked confused, as she looked between the guy she didn't recognize and her sister as they stared at each other for a moment.

"Emmalin, Mara… this is-" Erik started to introduce them, but Mara cut him off as she said, "Yeah, I know who he is… what I don't know is what is he's doing here."

"Good morning to you too, love." Klaus smirked, his attention on Mara.

"Maybe someone should explain to me what's going on, because I'm lost." Emmalin spoke up, her eyes on her sister as she waited for her to answer her.

"His name is Klaus." Mara admitted then gave her sister a sympathetic look as she softly added, "He's an original, Emmy."

A frightened look fell over Emmalin's face as she took a sudden step backwards away from where Klaus was walking towards them, and Mara instinctively stepped in front of her incase a fight or anything broke out.

"Relax." He said, coming to a stop and surveying the young witches, "I'm not here to hurt you… as long as you help me."

Mara looked down when she felt her sister fearfully clutching onto her hand. Emmalin not only wasn't fond of the idea of vampires but knowing there were originals walking around that were over a thousand years old and immortal –terrified her. It not only upset the balance and shifted everything she'd learned to believe as a witch, but now she was understanding why a lesson on the original family was one of the first things their uncle had taught them.

His tone might have been professional and polite, but she clearly heard the threat in what he'd said and as much as Mara wanted to turn and storm off she knew it would likely be a suicide move and she didn't want anything to happen to her sister.

"What do you want with us?" Mara finally questioned.

"Well, you see… I seem to have gotten myself into a bind, or more so I got my brother into a bind." He explained just enough to fill them in on the situation before he said, "So I'm going to need you to do a locater spell and find him."

"A locater spell?" Mara questioned, before her eyes drifted over to her uncle. A locater spell was something he'd told them they'd practice more but they hadn't tried very many times yet.

"They don't know how, they've practiced locating jewelry and books; not people… and even if they did witches can't openly practice and you know this." Erik defended them, a stern expression on his face.

"Relax mate, I have a distraction planned. They will be safe, but as for not knowing the spell… you'd better teach them quick."

"How quick?" Erik pushed, as he laid a comforting hand on Emmalin's trembling shoulders.

"Tonight, just in time for the masquerade gala."

"Oh, I wasn't going to that." Mara quickly spoke up but before she could say anything else, Klaus argued, "You are now."

For Emmalin the talk with Klaus seemed to talk forever and also be over in a matter of minutes. She knew vampires were in New Orleans, but she'd honestly never anticipated being forced into working for them.

And finding out that this wasn't the first encounter her sister had –had with Klaus, she was starting to wonder if that's what had her so shaken up the night before and rethinking their entire move.

Erik assured them several times to not worry that he'd gather what they needed for the spell and meet up with them when the time was right, that until that night they needed to act normal and find something to wear to the gala.

Once the sisters made it outside of the house, Emmalin turned to ask Mara about Klaus and how long she'd known him; but before she could her sister turned and left mumbling under her breath that she'd meet up with her later.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin folded her arms across her chest, as she walked down the deserted sidewalk, her head spinning. After hearing what Klaus wanted her and her twin to do, she had to get out of there. She agreed to help; even though she never really had a choice, but a part of her even wondered if this was the right thing.

She could understand Klaus wanted his brother back, if someone had Mara she would do whatever to get her back but doing magic scared her.

She didn't have much practice with it, plus there was the big rule, no practicing magic. Klaus reassured her and Mara that he had it covered, that they wouldn't get caught but could a vampire really be trusted?

She was so lost in thought that she accidentally bumped into someone, causing them to drop the drink in their hand. She quickly jumped back and threw out her hand using magic to stop the cup and made it land softly on the sidewalk, upright, without spilling a drop.

She gasped when she realized what she had done. She didn't mean to use her magic, it just happened without thinking about it. She raised her head, her eyes widened; hoping whoever she ran into wasn't someone who would harm her from practicing. She blew out a relieved breath when she realized it was Kaleb.

She opened her mouth to apologize but before she could say a word, he lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley between the two building they were in front of. Glancing around, he made sure none of Marcel's day walkers were nearby and had witnessed what she just did.

"Why did you do that?" Kaleb questioned her, with a nervous look on his face. "You know you can't practice. Are you wanting to get caught?"

"No, no!" Emmalin moaned, as she covered her face with her hands for a moment. She ran her hands throw her hair then dropped them as she added,"I don't know why I did that. I wasn't even thinking about it. I just- there is so much running through my mind and I-"

"Hey, it's okay. Tell me what's troubling you." Kaleb said, as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her. Since the moment he laid his eyes on her, he had the need to protect her, to comfort her. He felt connected to her from the beginning. "Can I help you?"

Emmalin looked up at him, wishing she could tell him everything. Tell him what Klaus wanted her and Mara to do and how terrified she was to do this spell. It was bigger than anything they had tried before, but she didn't want to get him involved. She didn't want to risk him getting hurt.

She gave him a small smile, as she shook her head. He took a step closer to her, as he quietly said,"Are you sure?" He brushed a lock of hair from her face, as he added,"You've called on me before, love. You know I'm here for you."

As the gala crossed her mind, she softly smiled, as she said,"Actually, there is something you could do. Do you have a suit?"

"What?" Kaleb breathed out in surprise.

"There's a masquerade gala tonight that I have to go to, but would you like to go too?" Emmalin asked. As much as she didn't want to involve him, she also didn't want to go to the gala alone. If it was up to her, she wouldn't even go, but Klaus demanded she and Mara attend. It was part of his grand plan.

A grin appeared on his face, as he said,"Are you asking me to be your date?"

"That depends." Emmalin said back with a smile on her face.

"On what?"

"On if you're going to say yes or not."

Kaleb continue to smile, as took her hands in his. He raised one of her hands to his lips, kissing the back of it, before looking at her and saying,"I would love to be your date, Pretty Girl."

"It's a date then." Emmalin said, a huge smile on her face. At first she wasn't looking forward to the gala, but now that she knew Kaleb would be there with her, she was already feeling more at ease. Just knowing he would be by her side that night made everything she had to do bearable. With him by her side, she felt like there was nothing she couldn't do.

"It's a date." Kaleb repeated, as he intertwined their fingers and held her hands. With their eyes locked, he took a few steps, walking her backwards until her back hit the side of the building.

He wasn't usually this forward, but there was just something about her. From the very beginning he couldn't get enough of her, any little touch just made him crave her more. He moved his face closer to hers, feeling a grin appear on his face, when he saw her bite her bottom lip before smiling at him. He was quickly becoming obsessed with that smile. He was even starting to dream about that smile. He couldn't get enough of it.

She felt her heart racing, just like the other night when he almost kissed her. She usually didn't move that fast with a guy. It wasn't like she was a prude or anything though. She dated some before and even kissed a few guys, but they were usually guys she had known all her life, not someone who was basically a stranger. But for some reason, she felt like she did know Kaleb even though they just met. It was like there was already a deep connection between them.

Seeing him leaning even closer to her, she felt her eyes flutter shut and felt his breath on her lips, but before their lips could meet, she heard her cell phone ringing, breaking the moment between them.

Kaleb took a step back from her, giving her space, as she pulled her cell phone out of her bag. She blew out a breath, hating that they were interrupted, but guessed it was for the best. There was things she had to do. She couldn't get caught up in a new romance.

"Sorry." She apologized, as she raised her head to look at him. "It's my uncle. I have to meet up with him and Mara before the gala tonight." She gave him a smile, as she took a step toward him, then asked,"But we're still on for tonight, right?"

"Of course." Kaleb said. He smiled back, as he added,"I wouldn't miss it."

"I'll text you the details later." Emmalin said, causing him to nod his head. "See you tonight." She softly added, as she took a few steps backwards.

She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay with him, but unfortunately she had a job to do; a spell to cast. She just hoped everything went according to plan

••• ••• •••

When the doorbell rang; Mara stood from the couch in the living room of her and her sister's shared house, muting the TV as she did and walked to the door.

Opening the door she looked at the unfamiliar face and asked, "Can I help you?"

"Mara Cromwell?" He questioned.

"Yes…"

"Delivery for you." He explained as he pushed the two boxes he'd been holding into her arms. Nodding in thanks she closed the door behind him and took the boxes to her room.

Sitting down on her bed she picked up the smaller one first and opened it, to reveal a beautiful dark silver masquerade mask nestled amongst dark burgundy tissue paper. Carefully she pulled the mask out to get a better look at it. The mask itself was a very dark silver color with a slight sheen and black glitter detailing around the eye holes. To the right side of the mask there were tall black feathers with diamond studded detailing on a black flower. It was so beautiful and she was almost afraid if she held it too long it would break.

Carefully setting it back in it's box she looked at the bigger one and already had an idea of what was in the box before she opened it. Sighing she removed the lid and set it to the side, a small gasp escaping her lips as she trailed her fingers over the black silk satin dress.

Standing up she carefully removed the dress from the box and held it out to get a better look at it. At first glance it was a floor length black evening gown, but upon closer inspection she could see one side was gathered in a tier ruffle drop, while the other had a stretch of see through black mesh-like fabric that would start at her hip and ended at the bottom where the fabric elegantly puddled on the floor.

Laying the dress over one arm she pulled the tissue paper out of the dress box until she found the card and read it out loud to the deaf ears of her empty room: _See you tonight -Klaus_

Her mouth hung open at a loss for words, he made it clear that it wouldn't end well for them if she and her sister didn't follow through the plan. And now he'd just sent her the most beautiful and probably most expensive dress she'd ever laid her eyes on. Not to mention a masquerade mask that looked like it could have been handmade by some famous designer.

Shaking her head she dropped the dress to the bed and walked out of her room, pulling her door shut behind her in case her sister came home.

Once she reached the door of her uncle's house Mara walked right in, intending to find Erik and tell him the plan was off. She wasn't going to help Klaus and she wasn't going to let Emmy help him either. But as she was storming through the house she came to a dead stop at the dining room entrance when she spotted Klaus sitting at the large table, littered with old spell books.

"What are you doing?" She gasped as she saw him tearing some old pages from one.

"Currently; preparing insurance against the tender-hearted." He explained as he tucked the spell pages on how to make daylight rings into an envelope. The more evidence he could use to frame Thierry and make him lost Marcel's trust –the better.

"What the hell does that mean?" Mara questioned, confusion traced her features as she stared at him.

Sealing the envelope he looked up at her as he admitted, "Marcel has ordered a rousting of the witches and I arranged for things to go tragically wrong."

"Meaning?" Mara questioned as she stepped forward and held onto the back of a dining room chair across the table from him, her legs felt unsteady.

"There's a witch in the quarter who caught the eye of one of Marcel's trusted inner circle, which he has overlooked. However; he'll be less inclined to overlook other crimes. Killing a vampire for example."

Mara swallowed hard as he looked up at her and with a self-assured smile added, "That would be unforgivable."

"If Katie hopes to save her one true love from Marcel's punishment… well, a rescue mission like that would require something positively magical." He explained, watching her as she pulled the chair out she'd been leaning on and sat down.

"All of this… rousting of the witches, as you call it… that's part of the distraction, to keep Emmy and me from getting caught for working that locater spell?" Mara asked, her voice a little shaky as she spoke.

"After all, what's worth dying for… if not love?" He continued as he closed the spell book he'd been looking through.

Mara's eyebrows furrowed as she questioned, "Dying for? I thought this was about finding Elijah…"

"It is." He assured her, "You just hold up your end of the bargain, that's all you have to worry about, love."

"The more I hear about this plan… the less I like it." She admitted, causing him to let out a small chuckle as he countered, "Then stop asking so many questions."

She frowned clearly not happy about any of it, but also knowing she didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Watching in silence as he stacked the books up, she finally asked, "Why'd you send me a dress?"

"It's for tonight." He replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I gathered that, but…" Her voice trailed off.

"Didn't you like it?" He questioned.

"It's beautiful." She admitted, then cleared her throat as she asked, "I just don't understand why you sent it to me."

"Because I thought you'd look beautiful in it."

Her eyes widened in response to his words and another rare moment passed where she was a complete loss for words.

"See you tonight, Mara." He said before he left the room and left her still sitting at the table, trying hard not to smile even though the corners of her lips were threatening to turn up.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to the ones reading and following the story. I hope people are enjoying it. Are there any MaraxKlaus shippers out there? I love that he sent her a dress and mask. A special thank to the original witch, NicoleR85, xxxRena, BeaAdriana, Guest, Guest and Guest for reviewing.**


	6. Tangled up in Blue - Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 6 - Tangled up in Blue - Part 2  
**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin blew out a nervous breath as she and Mara walked toward the house known as the Abattoir which was where the gala was being held. The gala Klaus was forcing them to attend so Marcel wouldn't suspect anything.

As much as she hated going to this, one thing she was looking forward to was finding Kaleb and spending some time with him. Being in his presence usually calmed her and knowing what they needed to do later, that was exactly what she needed.

The two sisters walked inside the building both of their eyes wide as they glanced around. This wasn't just some lame high school dance in a gymnasium or even like their prom in a grand hotel; this was something neither girl had ever seen before.

The atmosphere was dark and mysterious. There were several different acrobats performing around the room even some dancers with exotic animals. The girls looked up in surprise when confetti rained from the ceiling as they walked further into the room.

"Now, this is a party." Mara stated as she glanced around then tried not to groan out loud when she saw Klaus arrive with his sister Rebekah on his arm. He shot her a smirk before he and his sister turned to walk in the opposite direction.

As the sisters walked through a crowd of people each wearing masks of some kind, Emmalin reached up to touch the white lacy mask on her face, feeling a little self-conscious. She had never been to a party like this before and had no idea what to expect. It was like a grown up costume party and she suddenly felt like a little kid who just crashed it.

Feeling her sister grab her hand and cling to it, Mara turned her head to look at her. She gave her hand a squeeze as she said, "Calm down, Em."

"What are we doing here?" Emmalin hissed out at her sister.

"You know why we are here." Mara said back her eyes flicked over to Klaus for a moment noticing he was watching her. She had no doubt he was listening in as well. She turned back to look at her sister as she added, "And you know we have no choice."

"Yeah, but this is so not our scene. Everyone is going to know what we are up to and then we're going to be found out, and then-"

"Emmy!" Mara stated, trying to get her attention and calm her down before she had a full blown panic attack. She turned her to face her resting her hands on her shoulders,"Just breathe and calm down. All we have to do is blend in, okay? Dance, drink and be merry and no one will know."

"Yeah, but-"

Catching sight of something from over Emmalin's shoulder she smiled then settled her gaze back on her sisters face,"And look over your shoulder."

"What? Why? Is something wrong?" Emmalin asked in a panic, worried something was already wrong with the plan. When her sister didn't answer she turned around and blew out a relieved breath when she saw Kaleb across the room watching her.

"Put everything else out of your mind and just go have fun." Mara said as she gently pushed her sister forward. She watched with a smile as Emmalin and Kaleb walked closer to each other neither one being able to take their eyes off the other.

"Wow." Kaleb breathed out as he checked her out. The strapless dress she had on fit her perfectly and he couldn't help but think she was easily the most beautiful girl in the room.

"Is that a good wow?" Emmalin questioned, as she nervously ran her hands over the silky material of the dress. The dress was mostly white, with a corset type top that went straight down with a fishtail skirt. Toward the bottom had grey tulle, as well as a little bit of grey here and there toward the top.

"It's an amazed wow." Kaleb answered with a smile. He took a step closer to her,"I might have to change your nickname from pretty girl to beautiful girl."

Emmalin chuckled and felt her cheeks heat up from the compliment. She opened her mouth to compliment him as well but before she could he added,"There is just one thing missing."

As she shot him a confused look he removed one of his arms from his back and revealed a white rose causing her to smile. He snipped off the stem then stuck the rose in her hair near her ear.

"There. Perfect." He stated as his eyes roamed over her taking her all in.

"Thank you." She said with a smile. She laid a hand on his arm as she said,"You look great too by the way." She glanced over the dark suit and tie he was wearing, then glanced up at the black mask he was wearing. "Cute mask."

He reached up to touch the mask on his face as he joked, "I'm surprised you even knew it was me. I thought I was pretty well hidden."

"Not from me." Emmalin said with a shake her of her head. She bit her bottom lip for a moment staring into his eyes, "You can't hide with those eyes."

"Good to know." Kaleb softly said, as the two continued to look at each other as if they were in their own little world.

When a group of people walked past them breaking the connection between them he smiled at her as he took her hand and laid it on his arm. He nodded his head off to the side as he suggested, "Want to grab something to drink?"

"I would love to." Emmalin said smiling back as she felt a tingle radiate through her body as he held onto her hand. It was the same thing she felt any time they touched and it was quickly becoming something she couldn't get enough of.

••• ••• •••

Mara stood in place for a while watching her sister and Kaleb talking making sure that Emmalin was going to be alright before she walked away.

Taking a deep breath she looked around her eyes stopping on one of the dancers up on a pedestal dancing with a large snake and her mouth hung open in shock. The entire scene still felt unreal to her, like something right out of a movie that she never thought she'd get to experience. The bass from the music thudded against her ribcage and slowly her lips turned up into a smile.

With that thought she started to walk away that was until she sensed someone right behind her followed by a rush of warm breath on her ear as she heard Klaus say, "You look stunning, love."

Closing her eyes, she sighed and tried to pretend he didn't have an effect on her as she turned around and crossed her arms over her chest.

In her mind she thought he looked really good too but she wasn't about to say it out loud or give him any satisfaction in knowing the way she felt.

"Where's your mask?" She questioned, feeling a little self-conscious as she adjusted the edge of her own mask.

With a smug smile he showed her the mask in his hand and said, "I'm the devil in disguise."

"Fitting." She nodded, causing him to let out a small chuckle before she turned and walked away from him as she tried to ignore her hastened heartbeat.

She needed to stick to the promise that she'd made herself and stay away from Klaus; a task easier said than done when he was apparently fixated on her for the night.

Moving towards the edge of the crowd she stood back, recrossing her arms over her chest and watching as everyone danced and laughed –having fun.

"Care to dance?"

She looked over to where Klaus was now standing beside her.

"Yes."

He cracked a small smile at her stubbornness as he questioned, "You're not even going to try and have fun?"

"No." she argued, "So you can go find someone else to dance with."

Walking in front of her he questioned, "And what if I said I don't want to dance with anyone else?"

Diverting her eyes from his stare, she was again at a complete loss for words when it came to him.

He extended his hand to her, but she hesitated not only because she knew getting anymore involved with him than she already was –was a terrible idea. But also because she wasn't looking forward to getting the feeling she did when she touched Marcel's hand.

"Come on… I know you're dying to get out there." He said, just loud enough for her to hear and with a defeated expression she placed her hand in his, cringing in anticipation of the feeling. But her eyes widened in surprise when she didn't get the ice cold feeling of death like she'd expected.

Once they were on the floor amongst the other dancing couples, Klaus turned to face her. Seeing the confused look on her face he questioned, "What is it?"

"It's just…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at their connected hands, "It seems like every time I touch a vampire… all I get is this awful feeling of death, but I don't feel it."

"Maybe I'm different." He responded, his eyes locked on hers and a small frown fell over her lips as she nodded thinking he was different, if she had to place a bet –she'd bet on him being worse than the rest.

Her breath caught in her throat as he slid an arm around her his palm flat against the small of her back as he pulled her closer to him. This was wrong and she knew that. She knew most witches would consider what he was an abomination, something that defied the laws of nature and disrupted the balance.

But she didn't see that when she looked at him, most people would have seen a monster but ever since she'd seen him show real emotion the night she'd been at his house, she knew there was so much more to his story. Probably centuries worth of stories, pain and loneliness being the only one of his kind and knowing he was different.

That was something she could relate to. She might not have known what she was her entire life, but she did always feel different and out of place. Even after learning she and Emmalin were witches in a way it only made her feel more alienated after finding out she was the dark twin, while both her dad and sister were light twins.

It wasn't until she managed to clear her mind for a moment and look at him, that she realized how close their faces were.

She'd been lost in her own head, her thoughts a million miles away; yet she was pretty sure his eyes had never left her.

••• ••• •••

As much as Mara tried to act disinterested in both the gala and Klaus; she had to admit to herself that she'd been having fun dancing with him but she'd never say it out loud.

She'd seen her sister and Kaleb towards the back of the room talking before they'd moved to the dance floor, and just moments ago she'd spotted Cami dancing with Marcel.

So far the night had felt nothing short of magical and she hoped her sister was having a great time too, judging from the smile she'd seen on Emmalin's face she was sure she was.

"She's fine."

Looking up to Klaus as they danced together, her eyebrows lowered in confusion as she asked, "What?"

"Your sister. You've been watching her all night." He pointed out with a knowing expression.

"I'm worried about her." Mara admitted, narrowing her eyes as she added, "You see, she had an encounter with an original vampire that left her pretty shaken up."

A smug smile spread over his lips as he questioned, "Is that so?"

"Yes." Mara said, trying to keep from smiling back at him.

After a few moments she protested, "And I shouldn't even be dancing with you." But she made no attempt to stop dancing or pull out of his arms.

"Really?" He asked with raised eyebrows leaning in closer to her he asked, "And why is that?"

"You're a vampire… and I'm a witch." She whispered, hoping no one with supernatural hearing abilities were around to hear what she said.

"You're saying we should be sworn enemies?"

Shrugging, Mara said, "Erik said that we should steer clear of all vampires, that when witches get mixed up with them they normally end up dead."

"Do you trust your uncle?" Klaus curiously asked. From the short time he'd seen the three Cromwell's together he'd gotten the sense that Mara wasn't as fond of the family reunion as her sister. Which surprised him at first considering Mara and her Uncle Erik were dark twins.

"No." She flatly stated, their eyes locking as she continued, "I don't trust anyone, which is the main reason I really don't like this plan. If something goes wrong-"

"You're perfectly safe." Klaus assured her. The more he was around her, the more he wanted to be around her. She was like a breath of fresh air and even being the dark twin he could see the light in her.

"And Emmy?"

"Stick to the plan and both of you will be fine." He said, then flashed her a smile as he said, "Trust me on this."

"Never." Mara coyly replied with a smirk of her own.

Klaus looked around them, reminding himself to not get too distracted with her right now. He still needed to be watching for when Marcel's vampires showed up with the news that Thierry had killed one of their own. When his eyes went back to her, he glanced down taking in the sight of her in the dress he'd sent her. He was almost surprised she'd worn it with the way she'd seemed so against the idea earlier that night.

"'_Never_' could last a very long time for us." He said, with his attention solely back on her. He knew witches had ways of keeping themselves from aging and he was immortal.

She didn't verbally respond, just peered up at him from under her dark eyelashes and smiled with unwavering confidence in what she'd said.

Mara had never trusted easily and after her own parents had hid what she was from her nearly her entire life, no matter their reasoning, she'd learned you can't even always trust your own family.

She was about to tell him she wanted to take a break from dancing and get a drink, but before she could someone bumped into her and a hand landed on her arm as the guy quickly apologized and walked away.

Gasping as the cold, feeling of death rushed over her. She felt her legs go weak and lost sight of the room for a few moments. When she came back to her senses she realized Klaus was holding her against him both in an attempt to keep her standing and to keep her outburst from drawing attention. As of now, another benefit to having them working for him was that no one in Marcel's crew knew about Mara or Emmalin being witches and the longer he could keep that a secret the better.

Her first instinct was to push him back away from her, but before she could she saw the guy who'd bumped into her talking in a hushed tone to a very angry Marcel; following his fiery gaze she saw a few guys not dressed for the occasion and realized what was going on.

"It's happening… isn't it?" She whispered, as the other vampires followed Marcel to the side where she saw him pin one of them against a wall by his throat.

"Exactly as planned." Klaus said as he loosened his arms around her and she stepped back away from him, "Are you alright?"

Figuring he was only worried about whether she was up to the task at hand and not wanting to get another threat from him she pulled her mask off and sighed, "Don't worry… I'll be able to work the spell."

"I asked if you were okay, not about your magic." He clarified, their eyes locking as they stared at each other.

"It's all the same to you though, right? Because that's why you're being charming… you need something from me." Her razor edge tongue touched every syllable as she spoke.

Over her shoulder, Klaus saw Marcel and his trusted inner circle heading for the stairs in the back and he said, "Unfortunately love, that's a topic for another day."

Stubbornly she crossed her arms over her chest and refused to make eye contact with him as he leaned in and reminded her in a quiet voice, "Just stick to the plan." Before he turned and walked away.

••• ••• •••

After a couple of drinks, Emmalin and Kaleb were standing near the back of the room where they could talk privately. Any time he leaned closer to speak in her ear so she could hear him better, she would feel a fluttering in her stomach, and anytime his finger tips lightly ran over her bare arm or shoulders goosebumps erupted all over her body. It was getting harder and harder to deny she felt something for him.

She knew it might end up being a huge mistake in the end but she wasn't going to ignore the feelings any longer. There was something between them, something she never felt before and she knew he had to feel it too.

Kaleb had a grin on his face as he watched her turn her head and watch several couples dancing in the middle of the large room. He lightly touched her arm, feeling that spark he always felt when he touched her, then leaned closer to her, "You look happy, pretty girl."

Emmalin turned her head to look at him, seeing how close his face was to hers. She smiled at him as she said,"I am happy. I like being here with you. I like being around you."

"Me too, love." Kaleb honestly said as he the two locked eyes.

"You know, when I first walked in here I was terrified. I felt like I was a fraud, like a kid crashing a grown up party, but when I'm here with you... I feel like I'm exactly where I belong." Emmalin said shyly, before biting her bottom lip. A smile appeared on her face as she nodded toward the dancing couples, "Besides, as corny as it sounds, I kinda feel like a princess in the middle of some grand ball; like some Disney movie come to life."

Kaleb smiled as he nodded his head at her words. As an idea crossed his mind, he reached up and removed the white rose he placed in her hair earlier. He glanced around for a moment, seeing more roses sitting on a table near by and grabbed them.

"What are you doing?" Emmalin asked confused.

Kaleb grabbed one of her hands, holding it palm up, as he laid the roses in her hand then with a wave of his other hand, he created a rose crown. Emmalin softly gasped when she saw the crown in her hand, then looked up at him with a worried look. She glanced around, making sure no one noticed what he did and was thankful no one could see them in their dark corner.

"Kaleb, you're not suppose to do-"

"It's okay, love." Kaleb interrupted her, knowing she was going to warn him against using magic openly. He picked up the crown then placed it on her head, as he said,"Besides every princess needs a crown."

"Thank you." Emmalin said with a smile. She reached up to lightly touch it, "I've always wanted a crown."

"Well, what my girl wants, my girl gets." Kaleb said as he laid a hand on the side of her neck softly caressing her skin.

"Your girl?" Emmalin breathed out.

"Yeah." Kaleb quietly said just realizing what he said. Worried he had scared her he brushed a lock of her hair aside before resting his other hand on the side of her neck. "I know I might be jumping the gun a little, but I know what I want, Emmy."

"And what is that?" Emmalin softly asked.

Kaleb leaned toward her his lips inches from her before he stopped and whispered, "I want to dance with you."

There was a lot more he wanted to do with her but at the moment he wanted to wrap his arms around her in front of everyone and dance with her, show anyone that was looking that she was his.

"I-I don't know. I'm not much of a dancer." Emmalin said nervously. She was the type that always sat off to the side and watched the others dance at parties. The only time she would go on the dance floor was when her sister and their friends would drag her on to it.

"Neither am I." Kaleb admitted. He held out his hand as he added, "But the prince always dances with the princess, right?"

"Right." Emmalin said smiling as she felt him run a hand down her arm and grip her hand.

The two kept their eyes on each other as he led her over toward the other dancing couples. He kept her hand in his as he raised their arms up some then wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her toward him as they began to sway to the music.

After silently dancing for a few minutes he wrapped her other arm around his neck, then placed his free hand on her back, his fingers lightly dancing across her bare skin causing her to softly gasp as that one little action caused a huge reaction in her.

Kaleb smiled at her,"I thought you said you were a bad dancer."

"I never said I was bad, I just said I wasn't much of a dancer." Emmalin pointed out.

"Well, this is something we should definitely do more." Kaleb stated. He ran his hand across her back again, then laid it on the side of her face,"Among other things."

"Like what other things?" Emmalin questioned, although she had a good idea what other things were running in his mind because they were running through hers.

Kaleb grinned at her question but instead of answering he lowered his head and pressed his lips against her bare shoulder causing her to close her eyes and feeling a warmth all over her body. He left light kisses as he kissed across her shoulder, causing goosebumps where ever his lips landed.

As she breathed out his name, he raised his head and gave her jaw a soft kiss, before whispering in her ear, "I've wanted to do that ever since you walked in tonight."

He pulled back to look at her; their eyes locking, as he added, "And I've wanted to do this, ever since I laid eyes on you."

Without another word, he lightly grabbed her chin tilting her face up as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers for a gentle kiss. If she thought it felt good earlier feeling his lips against her skin, it was nothing compared to feeling his lips moving against hers.

Growing up she had heard all the kissing cliches; like feeling fireworks or things like that, but that was exactly how their kiss was. As soon as their lips met it was like a bright flash, followed by a buzzing sensation all over her body. Before moving there she had dated some and even kissed a few guys but none of the kisses had ever been like this. She honestly thought a kiss like this just existed in movies, she never thought it was a feeling she would feel in real life.

Kaleb ended the kiss, resting his forehead against hers as the two tried to catch their breath and waited for the tingling to stop. Like her, it was something he had never experienced before. He had felt the small sparks anytime they touched, but this was something different, everything was amplified and it was a feeling he couldn't get enough of.

"Wow." Emmalin breathed out, as she laid her hands on the back of his neck. It was good that she decided earlier to follow her heart and go with her feelings; after that kiss there was no way she could deny him any longer. Anything she had felt before had only grown after that kiss.

She pulled back to look at him and opened her mouth to say something but before she could, she saw her sister across the room, waving at her to get her attention. She pointed to her wrist as if to signal it was time; it was time for them to leave and do the spell.

Regrettably, she looked back at Kaleb, hating to leave him, but knew she had no choice. She shook her head, as she stated,"I'm-I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Wait, Emmy-" He tried to call out after her as she brushed past him and quickly made her way through the crowd to get to her sister. He saw the two girls join hands before walking away together. He could tell something was bothering Emmalin, but he didn't know if it was about the kiss they just shared or something else.

If she felt any of the things he just felt, he couldn't understand how she could just walk away. All she said before rushing off was '_wow_', making him wonder if that was a good wow or bad wow. He thought they were on the same page, but maybe he was reading things wrong. Maybe he got everything wrong. But no matter what, he couldn't understand how everything could feel so right, but be so wrong.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding the story to their follow or favorites. I hope you all enjoyed the gala scenes. They were a lot of fun to write. A special thanks to NicoleR85, BeaAdriana, xxxRena, SerenaLena, SarahLynn and Guest for reviewing.  
**


	7. Tangled up in Blue - Part 3

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 7 - ****Tangled up in Blue - Part 3  
**

••• ••• •••

As the twins walked mask-less down the sidewalk heading for the location they were suppose to be meeting their uncle at, Mara glanced over at her sister from the corner of her eye. She had her arms folded across her chest with a worried look on her face. She knew she was still freaking out about the spell they had to do. They had done spells similar to it before during their training with Erik but never anything this big or dangerous.

Not long after arriving in town they were warned repeatedly not to do magic in the Quarter. It was frowned upon and could result in death, yet here they were doing a power spell to find an original out in the open. Not only did they have to worry if they could actually do the spell, they also had to worry about being caught. Klaus claimed he had a plan to cover them, but could he really be trusted?

"I'm sorry, Em." Mara mumbled, bringing her sister out of her thoughts.

"It's not your fault, Mar." Emmalin pointed out as she glanced over at her for a moment.

"It is actually. I'm the one who brought us to this town. I'm the one who got us in the middle of this." Mara pointed out.

"Hey, listen to me..." Emmalin began to say as she came to a stop. She turned Mara to face her as she continued, "We came here to find our last remaining family and get stronger, which I'll admit now, is a good idea. We need Erik in our lives and I'm glad we came here, but you couldn't have known we would get pulled into all of this. And whatever happens, we'll get through it together, Mar." She gave her a small smile as she added, "We look out for each other, remember?"

"Always have." Mara stated.

"Always will." Emmalin continued. She nodded her head in the direction they had been walking in, then said, "Come on. Let's go get this over with."

The two girls began to walk together again down the sidewalk. She knew her sister didn't blame her but Mara couldn't stop blaming herself. She couldn't help but think if they never came there and if she had never done magic in front of Klaus, they would not be on his radar and they would not be in the middle of all of this; whatever this was.

From her short talks with Klaus she gathered that all of this had something to do with him and Marcel, which seemed weird to her since the two seemed to be pretty close the day she saw them together, but apparently there was a lot of history between them and unfortunately Klaus didn't give up much. He only shared certain things with her; things he felt like she needed to know in that moment. He was not one to over-share.

With Klaus on her mind, she shook her head, trying not to think about the moment they shared earlier at the gala, now was not the time for that.

She wasn't the only one trying to forget things, Emmalin was trying hard to keep Kaleb and that kiss off of her mind. She needed to concentrate, she had to think about the task at hand and would resume thinking of him again afterwards. But it was hard keeping him out when he would text her or when her whole body would still tingle from that kiss.

Seeing her look at her phone again, Mara asked, "Kaleb?"

"Yeah." Emmalin answered with a sigh. "He wants to know if everything is okay since I just bolted out on him, but it's not like I could tell him where I was going."

"I'm sorry for that too." Mara softly said. "I know you two were having fun and-"

"I can't." Emmalin interrupted, as she shook her head, "I can't think about that or there is no way I can do this. There is no way I can keep walking away from him, so I can't think about that now."

"So you're finally ready to admit how much you really like him, huh?" Mara teased, as she looked over at her.

"I am. I really like him a lot, Mar." She said as a smile appeared on her face.

"That's great, Em-" She began to say until Emmalin interrupted her, "But maybe that's not such a good idea."

"Why not?" Mara asked confused.

The smile disappeared from her face as she said, "Cause I don't want to pull him into this; doing spells for thousand year old vampires. I don't want to get him hurt or risk him getting caught. If something ever happened to him-"

"It won't." Mara interrupted. "This is a one time thing and besides you deserve this, Emmy, you deserve to be happy."

"Do you really believe that?" Emmalin asked as she shot her sister a look showing that she clearly didn't believe it.

"Do I believe you deserve to be happy? Of course I do." Mara stated.

"No, do you really believe this is a one time thing?" She explained, then added before she could answer, "Cause I'm finding that hard to believe. I can't shake the feeling that we have been pulled into the middle of something we don't understand; I can't help but think this is only the beginning."

Mara slowly nodded her head at her words, wishing she could disagree, but it was the same feelings that have crossed her mind. She had a feeling Klaus was not done with them anytime soon, but regardless of what happened, she wasn't letting him pull her sister down in this mess. She had to get her out of it all somehow.

They remained silent, as they continued on their way and before long came upon the small cemetery they were meeting Erik at. He smiled as he watched his nieces get closer to him. He gave them a short nod, as he said, "You two look great. I can't believe how grown up you both are." As a tear filled his eye he added, "It makes me think about all I have missed."

"You might have missed our past... but you're here now." Emmalin said with a smile, as she grabbed her uncle's free hand, giving it a squeeze. "We have a second chance now."

"Yes we do." Erik said, as he smiled at the two girls in front of him. "And I'm not letting my nieces go this time."

"That's great." Mara said with a hint of sarcasm. She ignored the look her twin shot her, then added,"But we need to get started. Did you bring everything?"

"Got it." Erik said, as he held up the bag in his hand. "I told you I would."

"Let's go then." Mara said as she walked past him to enter the cemetery.

Emmalin flashed her uncle a smile as she quietly said, "She's just nervous about the spell."

"It's okay." Erik said back as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The two began to walk inside together as he added, "Your sister has always been hesitant around new people."

"Yeah, but, you're not some new person in our life. You're family, you're our uncle." Emmalin pointed out.

"True, but I have also been away for many years." Erik said. "She's not sure if she can trust me yet or not and I completely understand, but..."

"But what?" Emmalin questioned, when he paused.

He came to a stop, then turned to look at her as he added, "The type of magic you two possess, the Cromwell line, especially the twin line is all about trust. You have to trust yourself; that you can do this as well as trust each other when your magics connect."

"I trust Mara with my whole life." Emmalin said without a pause.

"That's good, that is really good, but there also needs to be trust between all three of us." Erik explained, referring to himself and the twins. "Do you trust me, Emmalin?"

She looked up at her uncle and bit her bottom lip in thought. If it was her sister asking the question or even Kaleb, she wouldn't even have to think about it. But she did know she wanted to trust him, she wanted to believe he had their best interest in mind. She knew her sister didn't easily trust him and she trusted her sister's judgement, but she didn't want to upset him. She hated looking at the face that reminded her so much of her father and disappoint him.

In the end, she gave him a smile, before answering the question with a short nod.

"Good." Erik said smiling back. "Now we just have to get your sister on board."

Emmalin nodded her head again with a small smile, as he walked past her and joined Mara toward the middle of the cemetery. She blew out a nervous breath, before walking over to join them.

"So, question, why are we meeting here?" Mara asked her uncle once all three of them were standing around together.

"Yeah, why didn't we meet at the Lafayette Cemetery?" Emmalin added. "I thought it was really powerful there cause of all the witch ancestors laid to rest."

"True, but you two don't practice ancestral magic. Your magic comes from somewhere else." Erik explained. He reached into the bag he was holding, pulling out a light covered grimoire and handed it to Emmalin.

When the three met up earlier before the gala, the twins gave their grimoires to Erik so he could have them with him when they met back up for the spell. Mara wasn't happy about handing her grimoire over, but it was their only choice. It wasn't like they could show up at the gala with them.

He brought out the other grimoire, the one with a darker cover on it, and handed it to Mara, as he added,"Your magic, the Cromwell magic, is completely different from theirs and it's much more powerful."

"Let's see how powerful we really are then." Mara stated, as she held on tight to her grimoire.

Erik sat the bag down and grabbed a few more things; a map of New Orleans, a few candles and a glass jar full of ashes. He handed Emmalin the items to begin getting everything ready. She laid out the map, placing a few candles around it, then looked over at Mara; who closed her eyes and mumbled a few words before the candles went up into flames.

While the two girls knelt down on either side of the map and opened their grimoires, Erik pulled out a few herbs from the bag and lit them. He began to move the bundle of herbs around, the smoke hanging in the air around them.

"What is that?" Emmalin asked.

"It's a mixture of different herbs." Erik answered. "It's good to clear the air before a big spell, but this will also strengthen you and protect you while you do the spell. Chases away any negativity."

"It's nice." Emmalin said politely

"It smells." Mara added, as she wrinkled up her nose.

"But it's nice." Emmalin argued, as she shot her twin a look, telling her to be nice.

Mara rolled her eyes for a moment, as she shifted around on the ground, trying to get comfortable, before asking,"Are you ready?"

Emmalin swallowed hard, then nodded her head, letting her sister know she was. She glanced over at Erik; who handed her a pocket watch that belonged to Elijah. He had gotten the watch from Klaus earlier.

She handed the watch to Mara; who placed it beside the map, then Emmalin looked down at the book in her hands for a moment, then began to read, "It is better to learn with light than be lost in the dark..."

When she paused, Mara began to read from her book, "And it is far better to learn to see in the dark than shine a light and be blinded."

Emmalin looked up from her book, her eyes locking with her twin, as she held up a hand and continued, "But just like light..."

Mara placed her hand against hers, palm to palm, as she said, "Needs the dark..."

"Nothing is more powerful and together we can't be stopped." The two finished saying together.

Mara closed her eyes for a moment as Emmalin gasped in surprised when both girls felt power rushing through their veins. No matter how many times they had practiced a spell before with Erik, it was nothing like this. This was a feeling neither one had felt before.

The twins glanced down at the map, seeing the ashes they placed on there earlier begin to move, making a trail across the map, taking them closer to Elijah's location.

Emmalin latched on to her sister's hand as her heart began to race and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. Mara raised her head her breathing just as labored and saw a drop of blood fall from her sister's nose and could feel her nose doing the same. The power surrounding them was almost too much to handle.

"Mar, I can't-" Emmalin groaned out, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. She wasn't sure how much longer she could go.

"I know." Mara interrupted, feeling the same way. "But we have to keep going, we are almost there." She added as the wind began to pick up around them.

The two looked back down at the map and as quickly as it started the power they felt earlier slipped away and the spell stopped. As Emmalin hunched over trying to catch her breath Mara called out, "No, no, no! We almost had it. It almost worked."

"Emmy... Emmy! We have to try again." She called out, trying to get her sister's attention. She didn't even want to think about what Klaus would do if they failed this.

"We can't, Mar. I-I can't." Emmalin breathed out as she tried to sit up and look at her sister.

"But we have to!" Mara argued.

"Mara, Mara, stop!" Erik called out, as he knelt beside his niece and stopped her from starting the spell again. He took her hands in his, as he added,"You did your best."

"No, no, this should have worked." Mara mumbled as she pulled her hands away from his. Without another word, she walked away from the two, still muttering to herself.

"Maybe I should go after her, talk to her." Erik suggested.

"No." Emmalin said, as she shook her head. "When she gets like this, it is best to leave her alone." She added, knowing how her sister was. She hated to fail at anything and when she did she beat herself up over every little thing and no matter how much you tried to argue with her about it, she wouldn't listen. Through the years, Emmalin learned it was best to let her deal with it on her own, then once she was ready to listen she'd talk to her.

She turned her head to look at her uncle as she asked, "But I don't understand what happened. It was working, I could feel the power- the energy, when she and I joined together. It was almost too much to handle, but it was there and it was working, and then it was gone."

"I think this may be my fault." Erik said, as he lowered his head in shame. He raised it to look at her as he added, "I didn't prepare you two enough. You two were not ready for a spell this big, this powerful."

"What is Klaus going to say?" Emmalin quietly asked. She couldn't imagine how pissed off he was going to be and hoped he didn't do anything to harm them.

Erik laid a hand on her shoulder, as he said,"Don't worry about Klaus. I'll handle him. We'll find another way to find his brother, I won't let him hurt you girls."

"Thank, Uncle Erik." Emmalin said with a relieved smile, as she leaned forward to hug him.

Erik hugged her back and kissed the side of her head before standing up. He checked his phone, seeing he had a text from Klaus and knew he needed to explain all of this to him. He looked back at his niece, as he said, "I need to be going. Can you make it home okay?"

"I'll be fine." Emmalin said as she flashed him a smile to ease his mind. She gave him a small wave bye, then began to gather up everything and place it back in the bag before standing up from the ground.

She stumbled for a moment, then caught herself and leaned against a tree, waiting for her strength to return. She was starting to think her uncle was right, they were not ready for something that big and she wasn't sure if they ever would be. She wouldn't deny that she loved the power she felt, but feeling that much power at once scared her. It was something she wasn't sure if she was ever ready to feel again.

••• ••• •••

After regaining enough strength to walk, Emmalin began to make her way home; thankful that the cemetery was near their house. She just hoped Mara would be home by now. The last thing she wanted was to be alone right now.

Once the house was in sight, she raised her head, then came to a stop when she saw someone sitting on the porch steps. Recognizing who it was, she smiled, realizing she wouldn't be alone tonight after all. Despite her concerns earlier, once she saw him all of them left her mind and instead she could hear her sister telling her she deserved this. She deserved to be happy.

With a smile still on her face, she began to walk closer to the house and saw Kaleb raise his head when he heard someone approaching. He stood up from the porch, as she came to a stop in front of him.

"Hey." He said, as he nervously shoved his hands in his pants pockets.

"Hey." Emmalin said back, unsure of what else to say. She hoped he wasn't mad or hated her for leaving earlier.

"Kaleb, I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry, Emmy-"

The two began to laugh when they realized they were talking over each other. She nodded her head toward him, telling him to go first.

"I'm sorry for just popping by and sitting here like a bloody stalker." Kaleb began to say. He let out an uncomfortable chuckle, as he added, "I feel like I read things wrong and I told myself I should leave, but I couldn't."

"It's okay." Emmalin said with a shake of her head. She took a step closer to him, as she laid her free hand on his arm, before adding,"Besides, you didn't misread anything."

"Really?" He asked surprised. When she gave him a smile and nodded her head, he added,"Cause you had a funny way of showing it."

"I know, and I'm so sorry about that." Emmalin said as she ran her hand up his arm to lay it on the back of his neck. She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his and blew out a breath, as she added,"Leaving you wasn't easy. "

"Where did you go?" He questioned, as he pulled back to look at her. He glanced down for a moment, seeing her trying to hide the bag behind her back, but she wasn't fast enough. He nodded his head toward it, as he asked,"You were doing a spell?" When she nodded her head, he added,"I'm starting to think you have a death wish. What were you thinking?"

"I didn't have a choice." Emmalin softly said with a sad shrug.

"What does that mean?" Kaleb questioned. "If you're in some kind of trouble, love-"

"Just trust me." Emmalin interrupted, repeating the words he has said to her before and just like with her, as soon as she spoke the words, he felt like he honestly could trust her. But that didn't mean he wasn't still worried about her.

Kaleb nodded his head, letting her know he did trust her, then said,"Just let me know if I can do anything to help, pretty girl."

"Well, you can keep me company until Mara gets home." Emmalin suggested.

"I can do that." Kaleb said smiling, as he grabbed her free hand, intertwining their fingers, as they walked over toward the front porch.

Instead of climbing up the stairs, she sat down on one of the steps like he was earlier when she walked up. She didn't feel like she had enough energy to walk to the front door at the moment. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her toward him.

"Long night?" He questioned.

She rested her head on his shoulder, as she said,"Long and tiring night."

Kaleb lightly ran his finger up and down her arm, causing that tingling feeling inside her that only he can cause. He cleared his throat, then said,"Look, I trust you, I don't know why I do, since we barely know each other, but from the start I've felt it."

"So do I." Emmalin said, as she lifted her head to look at him. "But, I feel like there is a 'but' attached to that."

"Probably cause there is." Kaleb said with a chuckle. His face grew serious, as he added, "But, I need you to be careful, love. Whatever you've been pulled in the middle of, it's not safe for us, especially after tonight and knowing you are out there doing spells-"

"Wait, what happened tonight?" She interrupted.

"I don't know all the details, but Katie tried to go against Marcel and she didn't make it." Kaleb sadly said. He had spoken to Katie a few times after visiting the store she worked in.

"Katie? The one who works in that voodoo shop, Jardin Gris?" She questioned. She remembered talking to the woman the day she and Mara went in there to ask about their uncle. The woman seemed really nice and friendly, she couldn't imagine what would make her want to go up against Marcel.

As he nodded his head, she added,"God, that is awful. She seemed so nice. I wonder what happened."

"Rumor has it she was dating one of Marcel's men. I dunno if that had anything to do with it or what." Kaleb said.

"Maybe they wanted to run away together or something and he wouldn't let them." Emmalin guessed. She knew if the man she loved was tangled up in all of this mess she would want to grab him and run far away.

"Maybe, who know. All I know is, Marcel is not someone to mess with or go up against." Kaleb stated. As much as he hated to admit it, like a lot of the other witches, he was terrified of Marcel as well.

Emmalin blew out a nervous breath as she thought about the spell she and Mara tried earlier that night. They didn't know about why they had to do it, other than Klaus needed to find his brother and get him back from Marcel, but knowing they went up against Marcel that night scared her. If he ever found out, they wouldn't have to only worry about looking over their shoulders for Klaus, but for Marcel as well.

"You okay?" Kaleb asked when he saw the look on her face.

"Yeah." She breathed out. As much as she hated to lie to him, she also wanted to protect him and keep him out of danger. "I'm just tired."

"Let's get the princess home then." Kaleb said, as he stood up from the porch. He helped her to stand up, then added, "Oh wait that reminds me."

Before she could ask what he meant by the comment, he walked over to the front door and removed something from in front of it. He walked back over to her, holding the flower crown in his hand. The one he made for her earlier that night at the gala. He had left it by the door earlier in case they did miss each other, no matter what he wanted her to have it, to keep it.

"A princess lost her crown tonight." He said, as he walked back over to her.

"Thank you." She breathed out. "I thought I had lost that." She added. When she and Mara rushed out of the party earlier, she never noticed it had fallen off until later when she reached up to touch it and noticed it was missing.

"I guess you really are a princess. Cinderella lost her shoe and you lost your flower crown." Kaleb pointed out with a smile. "Now let's see if it fits..." He began to say, as he placed it on top of her head. "Perfect match." He added, as he smiled at her.

"As much as I loved being a princess tonight, I'm kinda ready to just go back to being Emmalin." She said, as she smiled up at him. She was ready to remove the dress and put on some comfortable lounge clothes. She wanted to forget the night, minus the kiss, and hoped maybe he would join her for some cuddling on the couch.

"Works for me. I kinda fancy her anyways." Kaleb said back.

Emmalin smiled at his comment, then reached out to grab the bag they used earlier during the spell, but before she could grab it, Kaleb grabbed it and offered to carry it for her. As the two walked toward the door, he couldn't stop himself from glancing inside the bag. When a familiar scent hit his nose, he came to a stop and pulled out the wad of herbs that Erik had burned while they were doing the spell.

"What is it?" Emmalin asked when she saw the look on his face.

"What kind of spell where you doing?" He questioned.

"Just a spell to help someone find someone." She answered vaguely, not wanting to involve him.

"A locator spell." He said, as more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, but it didn't work." Emmalin said. She gave a small shrug, as she said, "I guess this Cromwell isn't as powerful as her ancestors."

"That's not possible. Trust me, love, you are very powerful." Kaleb argued. He flashed her a smile, as he softly added,"I felt it when we kissed. You are more powerful than you know."

She grinned back as she thought about the kiss they shared. Getting back to the subject, she said,"If that is true then how come me and Mara couldn't do a simple locator spell."

"Cause you were using this." Kaleb stated, as he nodded toward the herbs in his hand.

"But that was to strengthen us and protect us." Emmalin pointed out, remembering that is what Erik told them.

"Some of these can be used for protection, but none are to strengthen you." Kaleb said. "Matter of fact, you see this here..." He began to say, as he pointed to a dead flower. It's blueish purple petals were barely visible inside of the bundle of herbs. "That is a dried lobelia flower."

"And that is bad?" She questioned.

"For us, very." Kaleb answered. "It prevents you from concentrating, which you know is big when doing a spell. It'll essentially weaken you and ruin any kind of spell you're trying to do."

"Are you sure?" Emmalin asked. It's not that she didn't believe him, she just couldn't believe her uncle would use something like that.

"I'm sure you didn't miss the foul smell while it was burning, right?" He asked. When she nodded her head, he added, "That's lobelia."

"I just don't understand..." She began to say, as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey, it's okay. Sometimes it's hard keeping all the herbs, flowers and plants straight." Kaleb said, assuming one of them grabbed the flower by mistake.

"No, that's not what I meant." Emmalin said. "We weren't the ones who burned it. My uncle brought it. It was his idea."

"Oh." Kaleb mouthed. Understanding what she meant now. He shrugged, as he suggested,"Maybe he grabbed the wrong thing by mistake."

"Maybe or maybe..." She began to say, wondering if it was something he did on purpose. She quickly shook her head, as she continued,"No he-he couldn't have done it on purpose, right?"

Kaleb shrugged his shoulders, as he asked,"Why would he?"

Emmalin bit her bottom lip in thought, as she lowered her head. That was the big question. If he did do it on purpose, why? What would he gain from all of this. Why would he purposely go against Klaus and ruin their spell.

It sounded ridiculous just thinking about it, making her think it had to be an accident. At least she hoped it was one, she didn't think she could handle it if it wasn't.

••• ••• •••

Mara stepped up onto the porch of the large house she'd been to just once before. Pausing for a moment she slid her high heels back on and walked up to the door which was standing open with just the screen door closed.

Taking a deep breath she tried to prepare herself for what might happen. Klaus had threatened their lives over this locator spell before, but with the way he seemed to act towards her she was hoping maybe she could talk him out of that if she apologized for apparently not being as strong of a witch as she thought she was;or at the very least maybe get him to agree to not kill her sister.

Reaching out she quietly opened the door and walked in, in her solitude she was able to appreciate the beauty of the large, old house as she slowly walked through following the soft notes of piano music in the air until she found a room with Rebekah sitting at the piano.

"What are you doing here?" The vampire questioned, surprised to see the young witch back in the house after everything she'd seen before.

Assuming Rebekah knew the plan, Mara admitted, "I screwed up tonight and I'm here hoping I can talk Klaus out of killing my sister and I… or at least her."

Rebeka's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she stopped the music she'd been playing and wondered what Mara and her sister had done that would have earned them such a punishment. But after the night she'd had, seeing Sophie fail at the locator spell when Katie died –she didn't care enough to ask anymore questions.

With a small sigh she said, "You probably should have stayed hidden for now. Nik won't be happy after tonight's epic failure."

Walking over to her, Mara sullenly dropped down on the piano bench beside the blonde vampire and nodded, "He'd find me."

"True." Rebekah agreed, letting out a heavy sigh of her own.

Leaning forward Rebekah laid one arm on top the piano and rest her chin on it, while she absentmindedly hit the piano keys with her other hand and Mara sat still staring down to the mask in her hand.

It was about ten minutes later that Rebekah stopped playing music notes and announced, "He's here."

Mara pulled in a deep breath, ready to just admit that she'd screwed up the spell but when he entered the room Rebekah was the first to speak.

"Well, tonight was an epic failure."

Klaus looked between his sister and Mara as they sat at the piano and stared at him. Smiling he said, "On the contrary sister. Tonight was a masterpiece."

"What…" Mara breathed, as she watched him place his own masquerade mask on a small decorative shelf next to a three tier candlestick.

"Are you mad?" Rebekah questioned, "Katie died before Sophie could complete the spell!"

"I'm well aware, I killed Katie." Klaus proudly announced to them.

"Katie… the witch? From the voodoo shop?" Mara gathered, her face contorted with a look of confusion.

"You what?" Rebekah angrily asked him.

"There's no way our little suicide witch wasn't going to try and take Marcel out with her." He explained as he stopped at the small end table set up with crystal glasses and expensive bottles of liquor.

"Wait…" Mara finally spoke up loud enough to get both vampire's attention as she asked, "What spell was Katie and Sophie trying to do?"

"A locator spell, to find Elijah." Rebekah explained to the witch.

"If you had them doing a locator spell, why did you need me and Emmy to do one too?" Mara asked looking at Klaus.

"That's what you've been going on about?" Rebekah questioned her, before she also turned her attention on her brother and stood from the piano bench.

"Yeah, because it failed… for some reason the spell didn't work." Mara said in a helpless tone as she tried to figure out what was going on and it slowly started to sink in that she'd been used.

Pouring himself a drink and either not noticing the hateful looks he was receiving or simply not caring, he continued to explain, "I saved Marcel's life and in doing so I now have him exactly where I want him."

"Sophie trusted you. I trusted you, against all my better instincts." Rebekah said to him as she walked up to Klaus, anger and betrayal in her voice.

"Wake up, Rebekah. The witches are on no one's side but their own. This girl, Davina, that's all they want and what do you think happens when they get her? A truce, of course not. They will use Davina's power against all of us-"

"Even if you're right, the plan was to find Elijah and you failed us." She accused.

"You always did lack faith." Klaus' voice came out in a hiss as he shot his younger sister a disapproving look, "By protecting Marcel, I've cemented his trust –so much so that he has agreed to return Elijah to us."

"I have all the faith in the world Nik, faith that you'll get what you want in the end… no matter what it costs the rest of us." Taking the glass from his hand and downing a drink she quietly, angrily said, "You disgust me."

Slamming the nearly empty glass down, she turned and left the room which remained silent until Klaus turned his attention on Mara and asked, "Well? You have anything to add?"

Silently she ran her thumb over the side of the masquerade mask he'd sent to her before she sat it down on top of the pristine piano and stood from her seat. Walking over to him she looked at him with furrowed brows and her glosses lips hung slightly open, there was so much she wanted to say to him but nothing would come out. Probably for the best, she thought. If he'd heard the thoughts running through her head he'd probably have struck her dead.

His eyes met her's and he could see the reddish tint to hers, like she was holding back tears along with a slew of emotions.

Pulling her gaze from his, she walked past him out of the room and out of the house. Her head was spinning, not only had he killed a witch earlier that night but he also apparently had some other plan in the works that he'd told her nothing about.

She didn't even bother trying to call for a cab instead she slightly stumbled down the uneven sidewalks, until she finally let out a frustrated scream into the dark of night and stopped walking long enough to take her high heels off and angrily throw them as far in front of her as she could manage.

It was several minutes later that she was searching for the left shoe when a car slowly approached and then came to a stop. Raising up from behind the hedge bushes lining the sidewalks from someone's front yard she saw Klaus getting out of the car and she groaned loudly to show her disdain for him and the entire situation they were in.

"What are you doing?" He questioned, wondering what she was doing in someone's front yard.

"What am I doing?" she angrily asked, "What are you doing? Besides following a teenage witch around in the middle of the night?"

Lowering his head in a small attempt to hide the amused smile on his lips, he asked, "Care to yell that a little louder, love? There were probably a few vampires in the quarter who didn't hear you."

Ignoring the small rocks and hard chunks of dirt that were digging into the bare soles of her feet, she stepped around the bushes and back onto he sidewalk to face him.

He watched her closely, noticing she was a disheveled mess compared to how she looked when she'd left the house. Her hair which had been elegantly pinned up was now half down with some small twigs and leaves poking out from her soft brunette locks, her eye make up was a little smeared and there were some small tears and dirt on the bottom of her dress –which was now dragging on the ground and getting tattered since she'd removed her shoes. Even in the state she was in, he still thought she looked beautiful.

"I buy you a dress and you go wallowing around in the dirt?" He questioned.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she argued, "I was not wallowing around in the dirt. I'm trying to find my other shoe."

He looked down to see she was holding one shoe in her hand and he looked back at her with a questioning look, which didn't earn him a further explanation as she turned and started to walk away from him.

Quickly catching up with her, he said, "Let me drive you home."

"No, I'd rather walk." She hissed, stubbornly continuing on her way.

"In your bare feet?"

Coming to a stop she turned and faced him as she asked, "What are you even doing out here? You're getting what you want… Marcel is going to return your brother to you, so can you please just leave me alone."

It was easy to see how angry she was at him and he had a pretty good idea why that was.

"I gave you my word that you and your sister would be safe… which meant we needed a distraction, a big one. Which Katie delivered." He explained, excusing his behavior.

"Yeah, which I'm sure she did a fine job of until you killed her." Mara argued with him.

"And in the process gained Marcel's trust; everything went according to plan." He pointed out.

"No, everything went according to your plan! A plan that you kept entirely to yourself… apparently you didn't even tell your own sister."

His jaw tensed in anger for a moment as he stared back at her and sternly replied, "What I tell Rebekah is none of your concern."

"Fair enough." She shrugged, "But when something endangers my sister's life, it is my business and all I can think right now is how easily it could have been me and Emmy who ended up dead."

"I wouldn't have let that happen." He assured her, but his words brought little comfort to the almost distraught witch.

The longer she stood there the more she realized how entirely drained she was from the day and from over exhausting her powers and what fight she had left in her faded away.

Tucking some loose hair behind her ear, her voice came out slightly pained in an almost whisper as she questioned, "It's not over is it? Because of what I am, it's never going to be over… someone is always going to want something from me and what choice do I have but to agree to save mine or Emmy's ass."

"Come on." He said nodding towards his black SUV as he placed a hand on her lower back and guided her towards the car and opened the door for her.

Getting into the passenger seat she remained quiet as he shut the door behind her and crossed in front of the car.

Looking down to the lone shoe in her hand, she shook her head and tossed the shoe out of her open window as he started to drive away.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding this story to your favorites or for following it. I'm glad you all are enjoying the story, there is a lot planned for it. Also I wanted to note that this story is about the twins, there won't be more about one than the other, cause it is about both girls. You can follow me on tumblr (link on profile) where story related things will be posted. Big thanks to NicoleR85, xxwildcatxx, the original witch, Guest, Guest, xxxRena and BeaAdriana for reviewing the last chapter!  
**


	8. Girl in New Orleans - Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 8 – Girl in New Orleans - Part 1  
**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin opened the door to Jumpin' Beans Cafe and walked inside with a smile on her face. She glanced around, trying to see if Kaleb was there and tried not to frown when she didn't see him anywhere. She glanced inside her huge bag, pushing her grimoire and other stuff aside as she looked for her cell phone to call him.

She finally located her phone, but before she could pull it out she felt someone walk up behind her and hold one of the cafe's disposable coffee cup in front of her face. With the way her body reacted she didn't even have to turn to know it was Kaleb.

"White hot chocolate for my pretty girl." His accented voice whispered in her ear, causing the fluttering in her stomach to intensify. She turned around, a grin on her face, as she took the cup from his hand and thanked him.

He held up a paper bag, as he added,"I also grabbed you and I some lunch."

"We're having lunch?" Emmalin asked.

"Mm-hm." Kaleb said with a nod. "You owe me, love, after running off the other night."

Emmalin chuckled at his comment, then said,"I apologized for that."

"I know, but you still owe me." He added with a grin.

"Lead the way." Emmalin said, then began to smile when he grabbed her free hand and began to lead her outside.

He led her over to one of the few tables sitting outside the cafe. He sat the bag down, then took the drink from her hand to sit it on the table. He turned to face her, as he said,"I got something else for you too."

As she shot him a confused look, wondering what else he got for her, he laid a hand on the side of her neck, then leaned down, planning to kiss her, but before their lips could meet, a group of people walked past them on the sidewalk and accidentally bumped into them, ruining the moment and causing him to miss her lips and bump her head with his.

"Ouch." Emmalin said, as she rubbed her head with a laugh.

"I'm sorry." Kaleb said with a laugh, as he tenderly kissed her forehead. "That's not actually what I had for you. I guess I'll give it to you later."

"Okay." Emmalin said, laughing along with him.

He pulled a chair out for her, then once she was seated at the table, he walked around to sit in the chair across from her. He opened the bag and pulled out two sub sandwiches he bought for them and a small bag of chips apiece.

The last thing he pulled out was a white chocolate macadamia nut muffin like the one he gave her days ago. He flashed her a smile as he sat it in front of her and said,"For you, pretty girl."

"Thanks." Emmalin said, as she picked it up and tore off a small piece before popping it in her mouth. She broke off another piece and held it out for him. He gave her a quick wink to thank her before eating the piece of muffin.

"You know this is spoiling our lunch, right?" He questioned as he shot her a teasing look.

"But I thought you were a rule breaker." Emmalin teased back.

"That I am, love." Kaleb said with a grin. "And despite what you say, I'm starting to think you're a bit of a rule breaker too."

"I think that's just a part of me that you bring out." Emmalin said seriously. It was true, back in her old town, she never broke rules. She would barely even go a mile over the speed limit, which would drive Mara crazy and she was always home at least thirty minutes before curfew, but since arriving in New Orleans and meeting Kaleb she was doing things she never would have thought of doing before.

"Well I'm happy to be of service." Kaleb said. "Besides I am a fan of all of your parts."

Emmalin blushed at his comment, as she lowered her head to pick up the sandwich with a smile on her face.

For the next several minutes, the two ate while making small talk. Once they were basically done, he popped a chip into his mouth, as he asked,"So how are you doing, love? After everything the other night."

"I dunno." Emmalin answered with a sigh, as she pushed the last few bites of her sub and chips aside. "I still have no idea how that spell failed and I can't even wrap my mind around the fact that Uncle Erik did something on purpose. I can't figure out a good reason why. All it would do is piss off the wrong people. Why would he want to do that or put us in danger? I just can't believe he would do something like that."

"It had to be an accident." Kaleb said, agreeing with her. After some of the things she had told him about her uncle, he couldn't imagine why he would do something like that to his nieces. He laid his arms on the table, then leaned toward her, as he asked, "So are you ever going to tell me exactly who you were doing the spell for?"

She shot him an apologetic look as she shook her head, then said,"I've already told you too much."

He shook his head to disagree, as he said, "You've barely told me anything."

"And I think it should stay that way." Emmalin added. "I don't want you involved. I don't want you to get hurt or get tangled into something you don't understand. I don't even understand and-"

"Hey..." Kaleb began to say, interrupting her ramble. He reached out to grab one of her hands, causing them both to feel that familiar tingle, before he said, "You don't have to worry about me, love. I can handle whatever is thrown my way."

"I know, but I just..." She began to say. She paused for a moment to take a deep breath and get control of her emotions, before she continued, "It's just, since I've arrived to this town, all I've heard is how dangerous it is to practice magic, and it's not like I thought people were lying or anything, but at times I kinda wonder if it was just a story passed around, to keep all the witches in line, but then Katie happened."

She shook her head, as a sad look appeared on her face,"I know I barely knew her, but I had met her before. I talked to her and she was nice; she seemed really friendly, but then something bad happened, something to do with magic and now she's gone. If that can happen to her, who's next? Are any of us really safe anymore?"

She looked at him for a moment, then intertwined their fingers, as she softly said,"What if you get dragged into something and got hurt? Kaleb, I barely know you too, but I already feel this strong connection to you, and the thought of something happening to you..." She tightened her hold on his hand, as she whispered,"Makes my heart stop."

The two looked at each other in silence as he thought about her words. He knew exactly what she meant. He couldn't explain it, the connection between them, but he felt it too.

From the moment he saw her sitting on that bench he felt it. He had dated a few girls here and there in his life, his most serious girlfriend lasted almost a year, but he never felt as close to her as he did Emmalin. He had no idea exactly what she was in the middle of, but the thought of her being hurt or something happening to her, crushed his soul. As crazy as it sounded, he felt like he couldn't go on without her.

Misunderstanding the look on his face, she dropped his hand and leaned back in her chair, before saying,"I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have said that." She ran a hand through her hair with a sigh, as she added, "That's way too serious coming from a girl you just recently met."

"No, it's-it's okay." Kaleb stated, as he reached out to grab her hand. "We both might be a little loony, but I know exactly what you mean." He ran his fingers over the back of her hand as he softly added, "I feel it too, Emmy."

"But can this really work?" She quietly asked. "Or is this just crazy?"

"Maybe a little bit of both." Kaleb answered with a smile. "But isn't that the whole point? Not over-thinking it and just jump in head first, even if it's crazy and ends in heart ache." Before she could say anything else, he added,"I just think when two people feel this strongly, it's crazy not to try."

She glanced down at the table for a moment until she quietly said,"Maybe you're right. I just-this whole magic thing worries me. Maybe me and Mara never should have started practicing. Our parents gave us a choice and honestly, for a minute I thought I was going to turn it down. I wanted to keep living my life the way it was, I wanted to go to college and be with my friends, but then... then my parents died and everything changed."

"You don't talk about your parents much." Kaleb said, as he closely watched her, seeing that talking about this upset her.

"It hurts, it's still so fresh in my mind. I have nightmares about it sometimes." She softly admitted. "I've never told anyone that. Not even Mara."

"You can always talk to me, love." He said, as he reached across the table to wipe a tear from under her eye. "Next time you have one of those nightmares, call me. You don't have to be alone."

She gave him a small smile to thank him. She was quiet for a moment, as different thoughts raced through her mind. Seeing that something was weighing heavy on her mind, he asked her what she was thinking.

"You've been around all of this for a while, right? The whole magic thing?" She questioned. As he nodded his head, she continued,"Is it always like this? Is it always dangerous and scary?"

"It doesn't have to be." Kaleb answered.

"It's just, what I felt that night, the power... I loved it. It was additive and scary all at once, but I don't know if that is a good thing or bad thing." Emmalin said. "I don't regret coming here or finding Uncle Erik, and I definitely don't regret meeting you, but maybe this whole magic thing is a mistake."

Kaleb didn't say a word as he stood up from the table. He gathered up their trash then looked at her confused face, as he said, "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Emmalin questioned.

"I'm going to show you how good magic can be." Kaleb stated.

"How? We can't practice, if we get caught-"

"Trust me." He interrupted, as he held out his hand for her to take.

Without hesitating, she smiled and laid her hand in his for him to help pull her out of her seat. With a plan in mind, the two walked down the sidewalk hand in hand with the sun beaming on them. In moments like this Emmalin could push out all the bad and just be in the moment with him. Somehow he could always calm her.

••• ••• •••

Pausing at the bottom of the porch steps, Mara took her phone from her pocket and looked over her list of recent calls. Moments after Emmalin had left their shared house that morning Mara's phone rang with a number she didn't know.

If she'd known it had been Klaus calling she'd have ignored the call and shut her phone off –she wasn't even sure how or where he'd gotten her number from. Now an hour later she was standing outside of his house knowing she shouldn't be there.

He was a vampire who just days before killed a witch without blinking for means of a distraction. She was sure if her sister had been at the house still she'd have talked her out of going there, that was what she needed, for her twin sister to tell her she was literally flirting with danger.

Swallowing hard she looked down, not sure why she was even there. Other than that she had a habit of making all the wrong decisions and winding up in bad situations; sometimes she really felt like she sabotaged her own life on purpose.

Shaking her head at herself she decided to do the smart thing and walk away. Get out of dodge before he ever saw her, but the plan was foiled as she heard the door open and looked up to see Klaus standing there.

Against her better judgment she climbed the stairs onto the porch and walked inside of the house.

"Morning love." He greeted with one of his smiles that made her chest ache from pretending it didn't have an effect on her.

She stayed quiet and crossed her arms over her chest, hoping to give off the impression that this was the last place on earth she wanted to be. For a moment she almost tricked herself into believing it, until her eye locked with his.

He nodded for her to follow him as he turned and walked down a hallway.

Mara knew the last thing she should be doing was following a vampire down a hallway in a seemingly empty house, but she followed him anyways as he led her into a large room with various sized canvases propped up against the walls and tables with paints and charcoals.

His eyes were on her as she took in the sight of everything and walked closer to a large painting, it was beautiful, more so than anything she'd even seen in museums.

"You're an artist." She realized out loud, looking over at him as he nodded.

"I should have known." She continued with a small laugh, "You have the whole tortured soul thing going on."

"Am I that obvious?" He questioned, with a laugh of his own.

Picking up one of the paint brushes from the table she looked it over as she shrugged, "Takes one to know one, right?"

Before he could say anything she clarified, "I don't paint or draw or anything, I'm not really an artist… I just write."

"_Just_ write?" He questioned with emphasis on the first word, wondering why she'd said it in such a dismissive tone. "The written word can still be art, can't it?"

Biting down on the inside of her cheek she fought to hold back a smile and nodded, glancing at him from under her lashes before laying the brush back down on the table and walking over to a finished painting that caught her eye.

She studied it closely, it was an image of a full moon in the sky over a body of water. The colors of the clouds in the sky bled together and clashed slightly as if a storm were brewing, it was dark and intense. Her head slightly cocked to the side when she realized the moon's reflection on the water wasn't obstructed by the clouds, it was untouched by the storm, pure.

"You like it?" Klaus questioned, causing her to jump slightly as he was right behind her.

The truth was she loved it, but out loud she said, "It's interesting."

He looked at his painting and then back to her as he inquisitively asked, "What do you see?"

"Well…" She said, pulling a deep breath, "It's almost like a war between the paint on the canvas…like every single shade of blue is fighting against the others to come out on top. The whole painting is a struggle against itself… the storm closing in above and the still water beneath it. There's a much bigger picture and theme to it… right and wrong, good and evil. You're struggling with something."

She looked over at him, expecting to be verbally struck down and told to either mind her own business or that her interpretation was all wrong.

But instead he hummed out, "Interesting."

She raised her eyebrows in question and the room was silent for a while before he asked her, "Do you believe that? That there is really such thing as good and evil?"

"I have to." Mara admitted, tucking her dark brunette hair behind her ears as she reminded him, "Cromwell twins practice light and dark magic. It's pretty much the same thing as good and evil."

Seeing he didn't agree with her she questioned, "Been around long enough that good and evil just sort of started to blend together?"

Crossing the room to a painting he'd been working on he explained, "Over the course of my life, I've encountered no shortage of those who would presume to speak of good and evil. Such terms mean nothing. People do what is in their best interest, regardless of who gets hurt."

"Not everyone is like that." She cut in.

Looking over his shoulder he asked, "You're going to say you've never been selfish, never taken what you wanted all while knowing it would hurt someone else?"

She was silent as she offered up a small shrug, truthfully she wasn't talking about herself. Her past had no shortages of mistakes and pain, both caused to her and her to others. But she knew not everyone was like that –her twin sister was flesh and blood proof that there was still goodness and kindness in the world.

"Is it evil to take what one wants?" He asked, his voice quiet as he walked closer to her and she tried to ignore her quickening heartbeat in response to him not only being so close, but the look he was giving her. When he walked past her, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding. Only to have the same breath catch in her throat as he stood behind her, his voice and breath tickling her ear as he leaned in and added, "To satisfy hunger, even if in doing so would cause another suffering?"

Stepping away from him and trying to appear as though she was unaffected, Mara cleared her throat but her voice still came out slightly raspy as she questioned, "What exactly are we talking about here?"

"What some would call evil, I believe to be an appropriate response to a harsh and unfair world." He explained, but she was confused for many reasons, one of those being why he'd even asked her there in the first place.

"Klaus… what am I even here for? At first I figured you needed me to work a spell or something but now…" Her voice trailed off as she looked back around the room in the early morning sun, "Now, I'm just confused."

"You're here, because I happen to enjoy your company." He said, smiling as he added, "I also believe you have the capacity to understand someone of my complexity."

Mara leaned against the table in the room as she blew out a heavy sigh and breathed, "Complexity? Klaus, you straight up murdered someone yesterday! A witch to be specific… the last thing I should be doing is standing here listening to anything you have to say."

"Yet here you stand… why is that?" He asked as he leaned against the door frame to the room, causing Mara to look around and plot other exit routes just in case.

"We all have our demons, I guess." Gesturing to him she said, "Some more than others."

"Is that you why you came to New Orleans? Trying to out run your own demons?"

"I don't know." She admitted, her voice soft, almost weak sounding as she continued, "I came here to find what was left of my family, get a handle on my abilities and yeah… I guess in some ways I was running away from some things."

He slowly nodded, watching her in silence before he filled the auditory void in the room. "You see, I returned to New Orleans to investigate a threat posed against me. What I found was a young woman, pregnant, in need of my protection. My brother, always the do-gooder, tried to manipulate me into helping her. He thought it might redeem me."

Following him from the room Mara asked, "The brother who you daggered, placed in a coffin and handed over to Marcel?"

He shot her a look over his shoulder letting her know she'd hit the nail on the head with that line.

"Since I've arrived here, I've learned of another young woman –a girl really. One with vast potential, being held in captivity by a tyrant. I want to help them both, protect one and free the other." Coming to a stop in the next room, he turned to face her as he added, "Tell me Mara, does that sound evil to you?"

She avoided his eyes as her gaze dipped to the floor, hiding a smile at the way his accent added an 'R' sound to the end of her name.

Finally looking back up she shook her head back and forth, "No, that doesn't sound evil."

He nodded, a smile toying at the corners of his mouth when she added, "But… I think you're trying to play the saint within the sinner here. Making it sound like you're looking out for their best interest. The pregnant girl –Hayley obviously, I believe you want to protect your child and to do that you need to keep her safe. But the other one… the one with vast potential? I don't think you want to free her. I think you want her power for yourself."

"Is that so?" He questioned, amused that she knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of, yet she didn't shy away from telling him the truth as many others would.

Shrugging she nodded, "You want to ultimately take over the city and to do that you're going to need power. I failed with the last spell you needed done." Purposely she left her sister out of the conversation, if he was going to be angry and take retribution out on one of them she didn't want him going after Emmalin. "So… I think you're trying to find a replacement."

"A replacement?" A laugh broke through as he continued, "You really think that lowly of yourself? That you'd be so easily replaceable?"

"Don't you? I mean that's why you killed Katie as a distraction, right? Because witches are beneath you? You found out the Cromwell's aren't near as powerful as you thought and now it's time for some sort of magical upgrade?"

"Your supernatural shortcomings, however inconvenient to my plans, I'm sure will be resolved within time. I'm confident your Cromwell blood is exactly as powerful as I believe it to be." He said, walking past her to a chair where he sat down and picked up the glass he'd been drinking from before she'd arrived.

Bringing the glass to his lips, he paused before adding, "There is no replacing you, Mara."

••• ••• •••

Several minutes later, Emmalin sat behind Kaleb, holding on to him tight as he drove his motorcycle down a deserted dirt road. She felt her eyes widen when a huge white house came into view.

He parked his bike near the grand house, then helped her step off the bike, before he stood up to join her. She kept her eyes on the house, a look of wonder on her face as she took it all in.

The house wasn't in the best shape, but she could tell at some point it was a really beautiful place. It was easily three or more stories tall with huge white columns in the front. She could tell that once there were huge gardens on either side of the house, as well as many beautiful trees, but now everything was dead and overgrown. But it was still like nothing she had ever seen before.

"What is this place?" Emmalin asked, as she spun around in a slow circle, trying to take in everything.

"It's an old plantation house and as you can see it has been abandoned through the years." Kaleb explained, as he placed their helmets on the bike.

It was a place he had discovered not long after arriving to New Orleans. It was just far enough away where he wouldn't get caught practicing, but close enough where he could still draw power from his ancestors. It had in a way become his safe place, where he went to get away from time to time and he knew from the moment he met her that he wanted to take her there one day and he felt like this day was the perfect day to do so.

"Can we go inside of it?" She questioned, as she nodded her head toward the house. When she saw the smile on his face, she laughed and asked him what he was smiling about.

"My little rule breaker wants to trespass, I see." He said with the smile still on his face.

"I told you; you bring it out in me." Emmalin said, as she smiled back at him. "Plus today is turning into a day of firsts. It's the first time I rode on a bike..." She began to say, as she pointed over to the motorcycle. "So why not add in some trespassing for the first time?" She joked.

"Or we can do something for a second time." He suggested, as he took a step closer to her, wrapping his arms loosely around her. He glanced down at her lips, remembering their first kiss, the spark he felt and wanted to experience it again.

He leaned closer to her and grinned when she laid her hands on his arms and ran them up to his shoulders. When his lips were inches from her, she smiled, before whispering, "Or I could make you work for it."

When he shot her a confused look, she playfully pushed him back then turned and ran toward the house. Kaleb chuckled and shook his head, before chasing after her. He paused at the front of the house to pick a dead flower from one of the rose bushes by the steps, then made his way inside minutes after she did.

He saw her bag and shoes sitting by the stairs so she could sneak around without him hearing her. He called out her name, asking her where she was, but she only called out 'come find me' in a sing-song voice in response. He looked down at the rose in his hand and waved his other hand over it, making it come back alive, then tore the petals off.

He placed them in his hand, then closed his eyes, as he whispered out a few words, then opened his eyes to see the petals floating up from the palm of his hand. He whispered a few more words, then saw the petals begin to float toward the stairs. He followed them up then down a long hallway until they stopped in front of a door.

He smiled then waved his hand again, causing the petals to return to their formerly dead brown before falling to the floor. He opened the door and walked into a bathroom. At first glance he didn't see her, but he did see an old claw foot bathtub with the curtain closed. He made his way over toward it and pulled the curtain back, then chuckled when he saw her sitting in the bathtub.

"How did you find me?" Emmalin asked with a laugh. She honestly thought it would take him longer than it did.

He squatted down to her level, as he flashed her a smile before saying,"Magic." He reached up to brush a piece of hair from her face, then leaned closer to her, as he quietly said, "Besides I think I'll always be able to find you, no matter what happens, I'll find you, pretty girl."

She smiled at his words as she watched him stand up and hold out his hand, before saying, "Come on, there's something I want to show you."

"Okay." Emmalin said, not even asking what he needed to show her. She trusted him completely.

Placing her hand in his, he helped her to stand up, then lifted her up out of the deep tub, before sitting her feet back down on the floor. He grabbed her hand, then began to lead her back down the hall and down the stairs. She slipped her shoes on and grabbed her bag, before the two made their way outside.

He led her over toward the side of the house, where there used to be a huge beautiful garden, but now there was nothing but dead plants, dead trees and weeds. The two glanced around for a moment, then he looked back at her, as he said,"This is what I wanted to show you."

"I don't get it." Emmalin said, as she glanced around again. "What are you trying to show me?"

"That magic isn't all bad." Kaleb stated, as he held up his hands. He nodded his head towards his hands, telling her to place her hands against his.

She laid her hands against his, palm to palm, then closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the power between them. He silently watched her for a minute with a smile on his face, then whispered out for her to open her eyes. When she did, she softly gasped when she saw all the previously dead flowers were now alive and in full bloom, even the tree they were under was back alive and had tons of white petals on the branches.

"Wow." Emmalin breathed out. "It's beautiful."

Kaleb looked at her with a smile on his face, as he said, "See, not all magic is bad."

Emmalin nodded her head in agreement, then without a word, wrapped her arms around his neck and took a step closer to him before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his for a gentle kiss.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise at her making the first move, then grinned against her lips, as he felt his heart beating in his chest. He let her take the lead for the moment, and like before at the gala, both could feel a surge of power flowing between them.

He laid a hand on the back of her head, intertwining his fingers in her soft hair, as the kiss began to heat up. When she felt something hit her cheek, she pulled back for a moment to look up, seeing that all the white petals from the tree were falling down around them like snow.

A breathy laugh escaped her lips before she lowered her head to look at him, a huge grin on her face. He laid a hand on the side of her face, softly caressing her cheek, as she whispered out,"I want to be crazy with you."

"What?" Kaleb asked, as he looked at her in confusion.

Remembering what he said earlier during their lunch date, she added, "I don't want to over-think this anymore. I just want to jump in head first and be crazy with you." She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his as she whispered out, "I just want to be with you, Kaleb."

Kaleb pulled back to look at her as he lightly ran his thumb over her bottom lip, before saying,"Well then let's be crazy."

The two smiled at each other before closing the gap and kissing again. She knew it was crazy to get involved with someone this fast, but it felt too right to be wrong. Regardless of what was going on with Klaus and all that mess, this was what she wanted; Kaleb was what she wanted. Even if it was crazy and ended in heart ache, she was taking a chance. She was having another first.

••• ••• •••

Shifting uncomfortably, with the way Klaus kept watching her; Mara pulled in a deep breath as she changed the subject and tried to excuse herself with a lie, "Well, I'm supposed to meet Emmy for an early lunch so-"

"I like you." He stated, cutting off the last of her sentence.

"Okay…" She breathed out.

"I like talking to you, so I'm going to offer you a job… as my stenographer."

"What?" she couldn't help but laugh, "You only just learned I was a writer and now you want me to write something for you? Maybe I'm terrible at it!"

"You're not terrible." He assured her, "In fact, I found the story you wrote about the young girl who believed fireflies were friends with fairies… quite riveting."

Mara's jaw dropped as she stuttered out, "How do you even know about that?"

Motioning around them to the large, lavish house he questioned, "You think I'd invite someone into all this without checking up on them first?"

"That was a story I wrote for a class my senior year of high school." She explained, rolling her eyes, "My teacher submitted it for me to a short story competition for a local magazine before she ever even checked with me, by the time she told me it was too late… I'd won and they were already publishing it."

"You didn't want it seen?" He questioned, watching her intently.

"It was about Emmy… I didn't want anyone seeing it until I'd cleared it past her first but I never got the chance. I didn't tell anyone about it actually. Just spent the prize money on some new clothes and kept it to myself."

Feeling like she needed to explain more she added, "The whole fairies being friends with fireflies was something my mom told us as kids." A sad smile graced her features as she continued, "I knew it wasn't real, that it was just pretend but Emmy just believed it so whole-heartedly. Looking back I guess it makes perfect sense that she's the light twin and I'm the dark one…"

Looking back to him she asked in an almost pained voice, "That's why you picked me isn't it? Yeah, you needed both of us to work the spell for you, but there's a reason I'm the one standing here right now and not Emmy. You say you don't believe in good and evil… but you must, because she's just as powerful as me. The only difference is she's good and does what's right…"

Standing up Klaus walked over and sat his now empty glass down on the small table holding expensive bottle of liquors, before turning to face her. There were at least a hundred reasons why she was the one standing there with him. He'd went to great lengths to get both Cromwell twins to New Orleans, but he'd been drawn to Mara since the start of it all.

Mara looked around and swallowed hard, feeling like all her flaws were out on display. She knew out of all people he'd have no right to judge her for anything she'd done, but she hated feeling vulnerable like that.

"Why do you think you're the one standing here?" He questioned.

She wasn't sure how to answer his question. Mara was pretty sure the main reason her parents had hidden it from them that they came from a long line of witches was because of her, that they were afraid she could easily be corrupted by power and greed, pulled too far into the darkness and start practicing not just her dark magic, but black magic. The kind so dark it chips away at the soul of the witch who uses it until there's nothing left.

True, any witch could take that path, but it was understood that in the Cromwell bloodline the dark twin was often the one to stray the farthest from the light. That's why she was there; she was sure of it. Her parents hadn't even been gone that long and here she was making every bad decision she could without even understanding the reasoning behind it.

"When we were kids, Emmy would catch fireflies and put them in a jar at night, she'd always let them go before it got too late and we had to go back inside… I knew how much Emmy loved fireflies and you know what I did?" She asked out loud, but he got the sense she was more so talking to herself than him.

"I'd get the fireflies from her jar and I'd pull the lights off of them and stick them on my arms, their light still glowed for a while after I pulled it off. It looked cool, but the fireflies didn't die immediately when I took their lights… they couldn't fly after it though, most of them couldn't even walk –they'd sort of just lay there moving just enough that you know they're still alive. Emmy would get so upset, cry about how I was killing them but I just kept doing it. I don't know why I did it honestly… I just did." She paused, raising her head to finally look at him as she said, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe I'm just not like most people… I think I was just born differently or something. Maybe deep down, in some ways… I'm just as bad as you."

It was strange admitting it out loud and comparing the killing of fireflies in her childhood to him slaughtering people was an odd analogy to say the least, but in many respects it was the same. Holding power of a creature of any kind that was no way able to defend itself against them.

"You don't see it do you?" He asked, not giving her time to answer, "Your own light, I mean. Yes, you're different… and that's why you're standing here and not someone else, Mara. I've been around for a thousand years but being around you is a much needed breath of fresh air."

Her heart jumped as he spoke, though she wasn't entirely sure why, or maybe she just didn't want to admit her feelings. Either way, she needed to be smart and make the right decision for once in her life –get away from Klaus for both her own and her twin sister's safety. Being roped into helping with a spell here and there was nothing compared to willing choosing to be around him almost every day.

"What funds are you and you sister living on now?" He asked, seeing her hesitation.

"I'd assume the payout from your parents life insurance, am I right?"

Her silence was the only answer he needed.

Reaching for a pen and paper on the decorative end table against the wall he wrote down an amount on the paper he knew she couldn't turn down. It was clear to see that she took the job of looking out for sister very seriously and he knew the money would provide them a safety net that Mara couldn't turn down.

"I think you'll find this a more than fair amount." He said, handing her the paper.

"Klaus… seriously, the last thing I should be doing is spending anymore time with-" Her voice abruptly cut off when she opened the paper and saw the numbers on it.

She looked up at him with raised eyebrows and he nodded to show he was serious.

Closing her eyes she sighed in defeat. She knew their parent's life insurance money wouldn't last forever, they'd already spent a lot of it arranging their parents funerals and services not to mention the move to New Orleans had been expensive.

"What are we writing?" She breathed, knowing that this would be something she'd live to regret. Just another bad decision for Mara Cromwell, those seemed to be happening in copious amounts lately.

"My memoirs, of course." He smirked, before he got a thoughtful look in his eyes and said, "Someone should know my story."

She was silent, wondering why out of all people he was choosing her to know his life story. Either way she'd already agreed to it.

The quarter was on the verge of war, it felt like it would be starting any day and she wasn't sure whose side was going to be the winning side. What she did know was the only reason she and Emmalin were there was because of her and she needed to keep her sister safe –and if that meant agreeing to work with the original hybrid, then it was what she'd do.

Opening up the front door to the house, she paused in thought, not sure if she should ask what was on her mind. Well aware that she shouldn't care at all what he thought of her, he was the first person to really tell her she had light inside of her. Of course, the fact that he was a monster himself didn't make a huge compliment, but it struck her interest all the time.

"Do you really think I've got light inside of me or were you just trying to butter me up to write your memoirs?" Her voice was a little shaky as she spoke, canceling out her efforts to try and appear like she couldn't care less what he thought.

He nodded and she started to leave, only half accepting his answer until he asked, "Have you ever seen the clouds just after a storm? When the rain finally stops and the lightning and thunder has since passed?"

Now it was her turn to nod as her forehead lined with confused, wondering how this was a valid response.

"When those dark clouds are just starting to part and those very first few rays of sunshine are just starting to break though, fighting through the darkness to show their light. That's the kind of light you have… the kind that has to fight so hard through the darkness to be noticed. That light, Mara… that's the most beautiful kind."

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding the story. Your support means so much. I hope you all liked the chapter, sorry for the long wait. Big thanks to xxwildcatxx, the original witch, NicoleR85, SerenaLena and xxxRena for reviewing. Also if you haven't already you can follow me on tumblr. The theme has recently been updated as well as a OC page. If you have any questions you can send them in on there if you don't want to on here. I haven't started doing snippets on tumblr, but if enough of you want them, I could start. Just let me know. Thank you all!  
**


	9. Girl in New Orleans - Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 9 – Girl in New Orleans – Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Pausing, Mara looked over her shoulder, her brown eyes scanning the dark trees and tall weeds in the Bayou surrounding her.

She'd been out there in the dark for the past hour and the entire time she felt like she was being followed, which certainly didn't aid her already uneasy feeling about the task at hand.

Currently, she was searching for a western cottonmouth snake –who's blood and sacrifice she needed to work a spell. She could tell her sister Emmalin had been on edge at home since the night someone had broken in. It had taken lots of research and hours of reading through her grimiore but she'd finally found a spell that would not only keep their house safe and not allow for any unwelcome visitors, but it would also allow her to keep an eye on the protected space when she wasn't there.

Most snakes, including the one she was currently hunting were active at night so her hope was find one, preferably the smallest one possible and hit it with a stun spell so she could safely retrieve the venomous snake alive, without getting herself bitten.

At first her biggest fear was coming across an alligator in the bayou, but that quickly faded away into a fear that she was being followed and seeing how she was now in the middle of nowhere and vampires seemed to make up a good chunk of the populating in New Orleans, she was starting to regret her decision to come out here alone.

Hearing a rustling in the trees above her she stopped, clutching the pillow case she'd brought with her to put the snake in tightly in her fist as she looked around and then focused her eyes on the tree above her.

Focusing she moved her hand to the side, a harsh wind blew over just the tree she'd been concentrating on and revealed a man, she assumed a vampire, crouched up on a tall branch where he'd been previously shielded by leaves and shadows. With a gasp she dropped the pillowcase to the ground and took off running as fast as she could in the direction she'd come from, tree trunks seemed to blur around her, the fast pace of her shoes thudding against the ground almost seeming to match up perfectly with her racing heart.

Glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her, she didn't see the person in front of her and ran right into them, knocking them both down. Hearing sounds of a fight she looked up to see Hayley fighting a dark hooded figure, much like the one she'd just ran into.

Mara scrambled to her feet as Hayley knocked the one she'd been fighting down and charged at the one who was just getting to their feet.

Confused about the entire situation but quickly understanding from the other bodies laying on the ground that it was an ambush on the pregnant werewolf, she saw another figure descending on Hayley with their hand out in front of them, chanting something she couldn't quite make out. But when Hayley dropped to the ground and let out a pained cry, Mara sprang into action, picking up a fallen tree limb and hitting the witch over the head with it. Their body crumpled to the ground and Mara clutched the branch tightly in her shaky fingers.

At first she'd thought they were dealing with vampires, but the one she'd hit was clearly a witch.

"Thanks…" Hayley breathed as she pulled herself to her feet and surveyed the other fallen witches littering the ground.

"Why is it that someone is always attacking you?" Mara asked, her breath ragged from running as she spoke. Her forehead lined with confusion as she quickly asked, "Wait, why are you even out here."

Checking their surroundings, Hayley admitted, "I got dragged out here to see some bayou baby doctor. What are you doing here?"

Giving her a look like she was insane Mara repeated, "A bayou baby doctor?"

When the werewolf nodded, Mara explained, "I was looking for a cottonmouth."

"You're looking at me like I'm crazy, when you're the one searching the bayou for poisonous snakes in the middle of the night?"

Mara opened her mouth to explain that she needed it for a spell but didn't get the chance as a stick snapped nearby.

Hayley's eyes started to glow a golden yellow as she looked around and in a slight growl, quietly said, "We need to run… now!"

Both girls broke out into a full speed ahead sprint trying to get to safety but more witches seemed to emerge out of nowhere, at some point in a fight Mara was sure she'd seen a large wolf but now she found herself face to face with two vampires and Hayley nowhere in sight.

••• ••• •••

Later that evening, as the sun slowly began to set, Kaleb parked his motorcycle by the twin's house, then helped Emmalin off the bike. He removed his helmet, then looked over at her, seeing her remove hers as well. He kept his eyes on her as she glanced over at the house, noticing no lights were on.

"Looks like your sister is not home." Kaleb stated, speaking her own thought out loud.

"Yeah, I guess she's still gone for the day." Emmalin said back, wondering where her sister could be. It seemed like lately she was dealing with things alone more and more, which worried her. She had seen Mara shut down before and not let anyone in and she did not want to see that again.

"Where did she go?" He asked.

"I don't know." Emmalin answered with a shrug. "When I saw her this morning she didn't say anything about going anywhere. She was mostly quiet, like she had a lot on her mind."

"Is that normal for her?" He questioned, seeing the worried look on her face.

"At times." Emmalin answered. "If there is something major going on she has shut me out before. She thinks it's to protect me, to keep me from worrying about anything, but I can feel it. I can feel something is wrong, but I can't help if she won't tell me and pushing her about it doesn't solve anything."

She blew out a breath, as she added, "I always worry about her taking on too much alone, but that's the way she likes it. She's okay alone and I'm... I'm not okay with it. I'm not okay alone, I can't handle things on my own. I always have her to fall back on, but then I feel bad for putting more on her and feeling like a burden. But she always says that's what big sisters are for."

"How much older is she?" Kaleb asked, curious.

"Thirteen minutes." Emmalin answered.

"Thirteen whole minutes, huh?" Kaleb stated with a chuckle.

"Yep." She said with a laugh of her own. "And she takes those thirteen minutes very seriously."

Kaleb laughed with her for a moment, before his face grew serious. He reached out to grab her free hand, as he said, "Look, I know you two have a strong bond, and I'm not trying to come in between that, but just know that she's not the only one you can turn to. I'm here for you too, love."

"Thank you." Emmalin said with a small smile as she stepped toward him and pressed her lips against his for a gentle kiss.

Kaleb laid one hand on the small of her back, pulling her a little closer to him as he laid his other hand on the back of her head, keeping the kiss going a little longer. He pulled back a little to look at her, as he questioned, "No regrets?"

He needed to make sure this was what she still wanted, that she wasn't having second thoughts or anything, even though he had a pretty good idea what her answer would be. It was almost like he could feel how she was feeling, he could feel how strong her feelings were for him and it was the exact way he felt toward her.

"No regrets at all." Emmalin answered with a smile, as she laid her hands on either side of his face. "This might be crazy to some, but I'm really starting to like the idea of crazy."

"I love the idea of crazy." Kaleb said back with a grin on his face.

She chuckled at his comment before pressing her lips against his for another kiss, then she rested her forehead against his to catch her breath. He kissed the tip of her nose, then pulled back to look at her. Knowing how badly she hated to be alone and wanting to help get her mind off of things, he nodded toward the helmet she had on earlier, as he said, "Put that back on."

"Why?" Emmalin asked confused.

"Cause I'm taking my girl out." He answered. "Besides you owe me."

"I still owe you?" She asked with a laugh. "I had lunch with you and spend hours with you at the plantation house." She pointed out, not that she minded spending more time with him though. She was mostly joking with him, which he knew.

"Need I remind you that you left me, on the dance floor, after our first kiss?" He teased. "Do I need to explain how heartbreaking that was?" He laid a hand over his heart, as he continued,"I now know how the prince felt when Cinderella ran away from him and I-"

She began to laugh at his comment, then cut him off mid-word with a quick kiss. As he tried to keep talking, she mumbled out a shh before she began to kiss him again. She laid her hands on the back of his neck, a chuckle escaping from her lips, as she mumbled out, "You are so dramatic."

"Dramatic or crazy?" He questioned when she pulled back.

"A little of both at the moment." She answered with a laugh.

Kaleb laughed with her then grabbed the helmet and held it out to her. He raised his eyebrows, as he said, "Just trust me."

Emmalin playfully rolled her eyes as she took it from his hand, then said, "You know I do."

She placed the helmet on her head, then climbed on to the motorcycle behind him. She wrapped her arms around him before questioning, "So, what are we doing?"

"A chance to do things right this time." He stated, as he flashed her a smile before putting his helmet on and driving away from the house with a plan in mind.

••• ••• •••

When both of the vampires started to close in on Mara, she quickly said a defense spell under her breath that Erik had taught them and knocked both vampires back with a force so strong when one collided with a tree it sounded like a clap of thunder through the bayou.

She saw the one who'd hit the tree quickly spring back to his feet, but the other had landed on the split and splintered remains of a an old uprooted and broken tree. It took her eyes a moment to focus in the dim moonlight of night but she gasped when she saw a piece of wood sticking up through his chest and realized he must have landed on it. She wasn't sure if he was dead or if the jagged piece of wood had somehow missed his heart, though he didn't appear to be moving.

Seeing his fallen companion, the other looked at her his mouth open and moonlight reflecting off his now extended vampire fangs and the skin changing around his eyes.

One of the first things Erik had taught them was several spells to defend themselves, but in that moment her mind was completely blank –other than the paralyzing fear that she was facing off against a very pissed off vampire.

In an instant she'd been knocked to the ground and the snarling vampire was on her, his frighteningly sharp teeth getting ever closer to her neck as he effortlessly held the teenager down.

Just as quickly as her thoughts and logic had escaped her, her mind was suddenly flooded with thoughts. Mainly of her twin sister, they were all each other really had left and if she was killed it meant that Emmalin would lose her powers. Just like Erik had when their dad, Lukas had been killed. She'd dragged her sister to New Orleans and she had a feeling that her sister wouldn't make it out alive without her magic to aid her and Mara knew she had to fight with everything she had left in her, fight until the death if she had to –with that death hopefully not being her own.

Just as she remembered the correct spell, she scrambled to get an arm free and grabbed onto his head saying the spell in broken words and a cry of pain as she managed to push him away from her neck but his teeth cut into her shoulder before the spell she'd used had him writhing on the ground next to where she lay in pain.

Getting to her feet and clutching onto her injured, bleeding shoulder she looked down to see he was getting back up. With her eyes narrowed in rage she looked over to the splintered wood pile near the other fallen vampire and raised her hand, bringing up nearly every fragmented and spiked branch and trunk remnants with it.

Turning around and not wanting to see if the outcome would result in a seriously wounded vampire or a dead one, she said, "Descendit imber et dolorem de hostibus meis." And with her words the sharp wood rained from the sky onto the vampire who'd tried to kill her.

Still holding onto her injured shoulder, she broke into another run wanting as far away from the grisly scene she left behind, only stopping once to catch her breath and stare at her hand in shock that she'd been that powerful –it didn't make any sense how she could have been that strong to take down two vampires when she and her sister couldn't make a locater spell work together.

••• ••• •••

Several minutes later, the couple were walking hand in hand through the crowd, as most of the city showed up for the music festival going on. The smaller town the twins lived in before had a few festivals during the year, but nothing like this.

There was so much to see and do, many booths set up to sell different things as well as different types of food to buy, she had no idea where to start first. Any bar they walked pass she could hear different type of music playing, but mostly jazz-type.

There was music circling all around them, as people danced in the streets. Everyone was happy, everyone was laughing and everyone was having fun. For once she didn't have to think about spells or anything supernatural, she could just be a regular girl on a fun date with a cute guy.

"What do you think?" Kaleb questioned, as he glanced over at her.

"This is amazing." Emmalin said with wide eyes and a huge grin. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"We know how to party around here." He said, smiling back at her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him, and kissing the top of her head, as he added,"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it." She smiled up at him. "It makes me feel... makes me feel like I did before everything happened. Before losing my parents or finding out the truth about things. I feel happy and I feel..."

"Feel what?" He asked when she paused.

"Feel like being crazy with you." She answered, as she stood on her tip toes to brush her lips against his. She grabbed his hand and pulled him into a bar named Rousseau's, where a brass band was playing.

The two stood toward the back, listening to the music. She glanced over at Kaleb and smiled, then began to look around the room. She froze for a moment when she saw Marcel and a young brunette girl walk in together. She didn't know who the young girl was, but she felt a sense of power from her. Almost as strong as herself and her twin, it was similar to what she felt around other witches.

Kaleb turned his head to look at her, seeing the look on her face, then reached out to grab her hand, as he asked,"What's wrong?" Before she could answer, he looked over in the direction she was and saw what was bothering her.

He pulled on her hand, getting her attention. When she turned to look at him, he said,"It's okay, pretty girl. It's not like we are practicing or anything, we're just attending a festival, he can't hurt us."

"I don't think I'll ever get use to it." She softly said. Seeing the question on his face, she added, "I don't think I can get use to the fact that things like vampires and werewolves exist or get use to living in a town with them. Always looking over my shoulder, afraid-"

"You shouldn't be." He interrupted. "You are quite powerful, no one can touch you, love." He paused for a moment, turning to face her. He placed a hand on the side of her neck, lightly running his thumb over her bottom lip, as he added, "Plus you have me and I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm not going anywhere, Emmy, I won't ever leave you alone."

Emmalin smiled at his words as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. She didn't know if he really would keep his word, but it was a nice thing to hear. She had a feeling he did mean it though, she had a feeling he really did plan to be with her forever.

"Do you want to get a drink or-"

"Or we can dance." She interrupted with a smile, as she nodded over toward a small crowd dancing to the music. She wasn't usually the type that would dance at parties and things, but being around Kaleb made her feel alive, made her feel like doing things she never did before. It made her want to be crazy.

"I don't know." Kaleb said slowly. "Last time I got on a dance floor with you; you left me, remember?"

Emmalin chuckled at his comment, then said,"Yeah, but you said this was a chance to do things right. This is our second chance, Kaleb." She ran her hands down his arms to his hands, laying hers against his and intertwining their fingers, before she whispered out,"And I'm not going anywhere."

Kaleb smiled at her words then leaned forward to softly kiss her lips, before leading her over toward the dancing crowd. The two danced to several songs then took a small break while another band began to set up. Once they began to play, the couple danced around to a few more songs.

She laughed out loud when he spun her around then dipped her toward the floor. When he pulled her back up, he brought her closer to him to give her a quick kiss, before raising her arm above their heads to spin her again. He had planned to spin her around a few times, but before he could finish the first spin, she gasped and came to a quick stop.

He saw a pained look on her face, as she laid her hand on her shoulder and let out a small whimper. He stepped toward her, as he laid his hands on either side of her face, forcing her to look at him, as he asked,"Hey, are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, it wasn't you." Emmalin stated. "I just felt a sharp pain in my shoulder, like I was bit or-or something." She pushed her shirt down her shoulder a little, trying to get a better look. The pain felt so real she almost expected to see a mark on her skin, but there was nothing there.

"I don't see anything." Kaleb said, as he lightly ran his finger tips over her shoulders, causing goosebumps on her skin. "Maybe there is something inside your shirt that stabbed you." He suggested, as she shook her head.

"No, no, it's not me." She said. "It's Mara." She breathed out. "Something is wrong."

Without another word, she turned to walked through the crowd, trying to make her way outside. She dug out her cell phone and began to walk into the alley beside the building where it wasn't as noisy. She quickly dialed her sister, feeling her heart pounding more and more the longer it rang on the other side.

When she heard the phone click she blew out a sigh of relief when her sister called out a greeting.

"Mara? Are you okay?" She breathed out, as she laid a hand over her heart.

"I'm fine, Emmy." Her sister said back. "Everything is okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Mara said, hoping to ease her mind. "Look, I'll see you at home, okay?" She added, still feeling shaken up by everything that happened. She knew her sister deserved to know, but she couldn't find the right words to say. She needed time to calm down and figure out exactly what happened.

"Okay." Emmalin said, before her sister ended the call. She turned around, seeing Kaleb walking toward her with a confused look on his face.

"Hey, what troubling you, love?" He asked, as he came to a stop in front of her.

"I'm sorry." She breathed out.

"You don't have to apologize-"

"No, I do. I really do, cause I have to go." Emmalin said. When she saw his face drop, she blew out a breath as she took a step toward him. She laid her hands on either side of his face, before rising up on her tip toes to press her lips against his for a sweet kiss. She rested her forehead against his, as she whispered out,"I'm sorry."

She pulled back to look at him, as she continued, "I hate doing this, but something happened... to Mara and I don't know what yet, but I felt it. She was hurt somehow and I have to go home and-"

"It's okay. Shh, it's okay. It's fine." He interrupted her rambling. He could tell she was getting upset. He knew she hated disappointing him about having to leave again, but she was also worried about her sister and needed to go to her.

He laid his hands on the side of her neck, as he kissed her forehead, before saying,"It's okay, I understand. Your sister needs you and I told you, I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

She nodded her head at his words, thankful he understood, then gave him a quick kiss. He nodded his head to the side, as he said, "Come on, I'll take you home."

She gave him a smile to thank him, as he grabbed her hand and the two began to walk toward where he parked earlier. She didn't know what happened to her sister, but from the pain in her shoulder she knew something had hurt her. She sounded fine on the phone, a little shaken up, but okay.

But hearing her say she was okay didn't ease Emmalin's mind any. She needed to see with her own eyes that her sister was okay. She had already lost her parents, she wouldn't be able to survive without her twin. No matter what she could never lose Mara.

••• ••• •••

Mara stood in front of her full length mirror as she turned slightly sideways and grimaced as she cleaned the blood away from the still open gash on her shoulder from the vampire's teeth. It looked bad, but she considered that it could be worse. That could have easily been a bite to her neck that would have drained her body of blood.

In her mind she got off easy compared to what the damage could have been, she still wasn't even sure if the vampires who attacked her were dead or just injured and for that reason every little sound she heard was making her jump.

She'd convinced Emmalin that she was fine about an hour ago when she'd first gotten home. Not an easy thing to do when the twins could sense when something was wrong or the other was in pain, but she'd finally got her nerves calmed down and her twin had gone to bed.

The house was quiet other than the muffled sounds of her sister's television through her closed bedroom door, but she was pretty sure Emmalin had already fell asleep.

Deciding she needed another wet rag to clean away the rest of the blood she walked out to the hallway linen closet, pausing when she heard something at the door. The only solace coming from knowledge that vampires couldn't enter a residence without the owner's permission, but when she heard a soft knock on the door her heart started to race in fear.

What if the vampires had lived and followed her home? What if she'd lead them right to her sister?

Slowly she walked up to the door, taking a deep breath and trying to remain brave as she pulled it open.

Her eyes widened as she stared at Klaus in surprise. Offering a smirk he questioned, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"What are you doing here?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Isn't it obvious?"

When she didn't respond he continued, "I came to check on you. Hayley said you were in the bayou earlier."

"I'm glad she made it out okay." Mara sincerely replied.

"Seems you always show in the right place at the right time." Klaus pointed out, referencing the night she'd saved Hayley from some vampires in the quarter.

Mara glanced over to her wounded shoulder and scoffed, thinking that was clearly a matter of opinion. Every time she'd gotten involved with them she wound up dragged into a mess or hurt.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he saw the still fresh wound, quickly stepping up to the frame like he'd forgotten he couldn't pass through the door and let out a frustrated noise under his breath as he looked at her.

She knew she shouldn't invite him inside, their house was a vampire safe zone and her sister certainly wouldn't like it, she still felt unsafe enough knowing someone had been in there one night. But Mara was too exhausted to stand there and argue with him. Though she'd never admit it out loud, a part of her was happy he was there, surprised he'd come to check on her, but still happy.

"Fine… come in." She sighed as she spun on her heels and headed back towards her room, wanting to get him out of sight in case her sister woke up and left her bedroom for something. The last thing she needed to see was an original vampire walking around their house.

As they walked through the house he noticed some family pictures on display, the twin sisters and their parents throughout the years –but Klaus noticed once they were in Mara's room that the only family pictures she had were of her and Emmalin.

"I'm fine, by the way." She said looking at him from over her shoulder as she returned to her post in front of the mirror, relieved to see it appeared like most of the bleeding had stopped.

"You know…" He said, his voice trailing off for a moment as he closely gauged her reaction, "I could heal that nasty cut up in seconds."

"Oh yeah?" Mara half snorted, "All I'd have to do is drink your blood right? No way… with your blood in my system you'd probably manipulate my dreams or something."

"Been dreaming of me, love?" He asked, lowering his head, a smile on his lips when she refused to answer the question and dramatically sighed to try and show her annoyance with him, but he could clearly see it was just an act.

He watched her as she struggled to place a bandage and tape it down with one hand. Stepping up behind her he brushed her hands away and placed the bandage over the cut, as he looked up their eyes met in the mirror before she quickly looked away but didn't argue as he helped her.

"You're awfully quiet." He observed.

Her gaze moved back up until their gazes met in the mirror's reflection again and she softly answered, "I think I killed someone tonight… maybe more. There were vampires and they were attacking me but… I didn't mean to kill them, or I guess at least I don't think I did."

Gently adding the last piece of tape to secure the bandage he said, "Well, like you said love they were attacking you."

She was silent as she continued to watch him in the mirror as he stood behind her with his hands now resting on her upper arms while she fought to pretend that his touch didn't have an effect on her.

Pulling away from him, she walked over to the window and looked outside in the dark of night as she admitted, "There was this moment when I was losing the fight, I was pinned down and I could tell by the look in that vampire's eyes that he was going to kill me… and there was this split-second where I stopped struggling. A moment where I thought maybe the world would be a better place without me."

Before he could say anything she sat down on the side of her bed and rested her face in her hands as she spoke with her voice muffled against her hands, "You asked me if I came to New Orleans to try and run away from something… I did. I think I actually let myself believe for a while that this would be a new start, that it was even possible for me to start over, but it's not."

Sitting down beside her he said in a voice just as quiet as hers, "I've been to every continent on this earth, I've seen empires be built from nothing only to their own downfall… I've seen many, many things –but one thing I've never witnessed was someone being able to out run themselves."

Dropping her hands from her face she pulled in a deep breath but didn't look over at him as he added, "You see love, there comes a time when everyone must stand alone against their demons."

"You don't get it." She breathed shaking her head, "What you said about the light breaking through the clouds after a storm, that's not me at all. I'm the storm… dark and destructive, and I've always been like that. Do you know that my parent's didn't even tell Emmy and I that we were witches until we'd turned 18, they said it was so we could choose our own futures. Whether this world was something we wanted to be a part of or if we wanted to be normal and not learn anything else about our family and magic. But it wasn't the truth, not the whole truth at least. They didn't tell us because they didn't want me to know what I was because they were afraid I'd get corrupted by power of black magic, scared that I'd choose the wrong path… like they just expected me to mess this up."

Wiping a tear from her cheek she admitted, "I hated them for it too. God, it sounds so bad but I did… I was so mad at them. My entire life I never felt like I belonged… I always felt different, like some kind of imposter walking around living someone else's life and once they told me it explained everything. I had a reason to feel that way, I wasn't normal and they let me live 18 years feeling like I didn't. All I could think was how much I hated them for that and then… they were gone."

"The world can be a dark and cruel place."

"Do you really believe that?" Mara questioned, looking over at him for the first time since he'd sat down with her.

"Don't you?" He countered.

"No, I don't think the world itself is cruel… people are cruel. Overall, I think most people want to be good but then there's a handful who aren't good… the bad seeds. At first I thought my parents were the bad ones, that they were cruel for keeping that secret from me but then they were gone and I realized it was me all along. That I was the bad one and it was my fault they were gone and now I've dragged my sister across the country with me here to learn all about the thing she never wanted to be a part of to begin with. She has every right to hate me… but she doesn't, I don't even think she's capable of hatred and that just makes me hate the way I am even more."

"Mara, listen to me." Klaus said as he turned slightly to face her more, "You're not the reason your parents are dead, they were murdered… some random, senseless act of violence that you couldn't have possibly caused."

"Ha." She weakly exclaimed, feeling more drained by the minute, "It wouldn't be the first time I was responsible for someone I cared about dying."

When she was met a questioning look she shook her head and said, "I should probably get some sleep." There were more things she wanted to say to him, thank him for listening to her and for being there to check on her in the first place but instead she added, "I'll show you out."

"Just rest." He told her as he stood up and added with one of his signature smirks, "I believe I can find my own way out… it is a small house."

She shot him a look but a smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she scooted back farther on the bed and laid down, feeling so worn out she thought she'd be asleep before her head hit the pillow. Only when a gust of wind blew from outside and a low hanging tree branch tapped against her window she shot up with a gasp, causing him to spin around at her doorway to see what happened.

"It was the wind." He pointed out, surprised to see her so jumpy. Most of the time she seemed fearless, but then again he wasn't aware of all the pain and guilt she carried around with her either.

Stepping back into the room he gently closed the door behind him and said, "I think I'll stay a little while longer."

Pulling in a deep, ragged breath she held her tears at bay, trying to tell herself that tomorrow would be a better day –it had to be.

Sitting down on the bed next to her he adjusted and leaned against the headboard watching her as she reached over and shut the light off on the small, decorative table next to her bed.

In the near darkness of the room she let out the breath she'd been holding and with it a few tears soaked into her pillow case, raising a slightly shaky hand she wiped her cheeks before pulling the blanket up to her chin and closing her eyes.

The last thing she heard was his voice, barely over a whisper as he said, "Everything seems worse after the sun goes down."

Reaching out he gently brushed aside the hair that fell over her face when she laid down as he added, "You might feel like you're in a storm now –but the rain can't last forever."

He continued to watch her long after she'd drifted off to sleep with his own steadily rising feeling of guilt. The only reason Mara was in New Orleans was because of him and he couldn't pinpoint when the exact moment that he wanted her around him for other reasons than working spells. Somewhere beyond her and her sister's shared Cromwell magic, he'd started to care for Mara. There wasn't much in the world he genuinely cared about anymore, but when something or someone did bring out those feeling in him, it was intensified. Being what he was, he felt things far deeper than any human could comprehend.

Now, he'd gotten himself into a mess. He wanted to keep her safe, but he also wanted to take back New Orleans –the kingdom he credited himself for creating and felt like it had been stolen from him by Marcel and to do that he'd need the Cromwell witches, which mean endangering Mara's life on his climb back to the top.

Closing his eyes, Klaus leaned his head back against the wooden headboard and let out a burdened sigh. He had a plan to get the city back, rebuild a home for his family and be the king of the quarter with everyone revering him and maybe, just maybe along the way Mara would be on his side, believing in his cause and helping him because that's what she wanted and not because he was forcing her hand.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding the story. Big thanks to NicoleR85, the original witch, xxxRena, Guest, SerenaLena, Land of a billion lights, Guest, Jules and xxwildcatxx for reviewing. I am happy to see people are enjoying this story. Don't forget you can follow me on tumblr for story related things.  
**


	10. Sinners and Saints

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 10 – Sinners and Saints  
**

••• ••• •••

Mara slowly blinked her eyes open in the morning light of her bedroom. She instantly pinned her eyes shut again wanting to sleep until at least the next week, but then she remembered that Klaus was there when she fell asleep.

Looking over her shoulder she let out a small sigh when she saw the other half of her bed was empty. Though it also provided a small comfort considering she wasn't a fan of letting anyone see her breakdown but she still wished he might have stayed.

Sitting up she rubbed her face and pushed the blankets off her legs before standing to stretch at the side of the bed, that was when something caught her eye from the top of her dresser, the sunlight reflecting off a shiny surface.

Looking over she saw it was her mask from the masquerade gala, the same one Klaus had sent to her with the dress she'd worn that night. Only it shouldn't have been in her room considering she was so angry and disgusted with him that night for killing Katie as a distraction that she'd left it sitting on the piano before leaving the house.

Slowly she picked it up and ran her fingers over the smooth, dark surface and couldn't help but smile at how he'd held onto her mask and didn't throw it away.

It was impossible to deny how he made her feel now, it wasn't just that she was attracted to him it was that he made her feel alive. In a way she'd never felt before and that rush was something she couldn't get enough of.

Klaus Mikaelson was the embodiment of danger –and she knew better.

As she sat the mask back down on her dresser she caught her reflection in the mirror and paused as she considered maybe her parents had good reason hiding this entire world from her. She was already getting swept up in it, they'd warned her that as the dark twin she was more susceptible to being caught up in the worst parts of magic and the supernatural –now she was really considering they were right.

When she first arrived in New Orleans, all she wanted was to find Erik and learn how to control and harness her abilities not to mention learning more about her family, though she thought vampires being real was great, she'd never intended on getting mixed up in vampire business. Now, if she had to be completely honest –she didn't hate it near as much as she pretended to and she'd much rather be spending her time helping Klaus take over the city than learning about her own family from Erik –who she trusted less than Klaus now.

After showering and getting ready for the day, Mara headed into the kitchen where she found her sister sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Morning." Emmalin called out as she looked up from her phone and added, "I wrapped your plate and put it the microwave… wasn't sure what time you'd be up after last night."

Shooting her a confused look and wondering if she knew that Klaus had been in the house Mara asked, "W-What are you talking about?"

"Mara… I'm not trying to push you here it's just... last night it felt like I was shot in the shoulder or something and you're not wearing a tank-top like usual. You know you can tell me what happened." Emmalin said, her voice soft and full of concern as she spoke.

Grabbing the plate from the microwave and not bothering to re-heat the now luke warm meal, Mara left the foil covering on the counter as she sat down at the table and assured her, "Emmy. I'm fine. Stop worrying about me… sorry I screwed up your date with Kaleb."

"Hey, we always look out for each other first… we always have." Emmalin assured her, she'd drop anything to help her sister, but she did feel bad that her every outing with Kaleb was cut short because something kept coming up.

"Always will." Mara agreed, before asking, "Texting Kaleb this early in the morning, huh? Must be serious."

Emmalin smiled as she looked down to where her phone was lit up with a new text message. She had a pretty good idea that Mara was changing the subject to get the heat off her and she knew there was something her sister was hiding. Normally, she knew it was better to let Mara deal with the things she needed to on her own and not push her but these weren't highschool problems like they'd been dealing with earlier that year.

These were life and death situations they were facing every single day and she was worried that her sister would take on too much and get caught in the middle of the war that was brewing in the quarter between the witches and the vampires. Along with the fact that Emmalin was almost positive that every time her sister left the house it was because Klaus had called on her for something and that made her uneasy to say the least.

Emmalin watched as her sister ate her breakfast faster than usual.

"Late for something?" She questioned.

"I just need to run some errands." Mara lied.

The truth was that she was heading back out to the bayou to try and find the spot where she'd been attacked the night before. She needed to know for sure whether she'd killed the vampires or if they'd gotten away, as much as she didn't like the idea of being responsible for someone's death it had gotten to the point where she hoped they were dead.

If they had gotten away they would have reported back to Marcel and they'd come after not only her but also her twin sister and while she knew Klaus had apparently grown fond of her, she wasn't going to trust that he'd keep both of them safe.

After their plates were in the sink, Emmalin gave a wide, hopeful smile as she suggested, "Hey, I could keep you company today! We haven't spent a whole day together in a long time."

"No, it's okay." Mara declined, pausing at the door as she looked back and said, "But uh, you should call Kaleb to keep you company today. In fact, maybe it's a good idea if he stays with you until I get back."

Her sisters stomach knotted with tension as she asked, "Seriously Mar, what's going on?"

"Nothing Emmy, I just don't think it's a good idea for you to be alone right now." Mara said, feeling guilty for making her worry, but she was afraid vampires may attack the house while she was gone. The vampires might not be able to get inside, but if they wanted too they could burn the place down. Most of them couldn't be out in the sunlight but she knew Marcel had an inner circle of trusted vampires he'd rewarded with daylight rings.

"You don't want me to be alone? Mara, than you shouldn't be alone either. I'm coming with you." She asserted as she started after her but Mara was having no part of it as she said in a stern tone, "I said no, Emmalin!"

Emmalin stopped with a confused expression verging on one of hurt as she watched her sister leave, taking whatever secrets she was hiding out the door with her.

Dropping to the couch, she blew out a breath and folded her arms over her chest and aggressively tapped her foot on the floor until she finally couldn't take it anymore.

If Mara wasn't going to fess up about what was really going on, then she was just going to have to find out for herself.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin nervously glanced around the swampy woods, her gaze jumping around every time she heard a noise; a small animal running around, birds taking flight from branches or a slight breeze moving things around.

She didn't do things like this. She didn't follow her sister or go into unfamiliar places alone, but she had no choice this time. Something happened to her sister the night before and since she wasn't talking, she had no other choice but to follow her sister and discover the truth on her own.

She drew in a deep breath and went to take a step until she heard another noise. This wasn't one she had heard before, it wasn't just an animal or the wind, this was footsteps. Someone walking over crunchy leaves and small twigs.

Emmalin quickly ducked behind a tree, then peeked around it in the area she heard the noise, trying to see who it could be. Could it be a vampire, another witch, even a werewolf? She wasn't sure.

Hearing another twig break, she softly gasped then hid behind the tree again. She kept her back pressed against the bark and slapped a hand over her mouth, forcing herself not to make a sound as she heard the footsteps getting closer and closer to her.

She laid her head back against the tree and squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she had to do something. She couldn't just stand there until whoever it was found her. She knew she had to be brave and actually do something for once in her life.

"I can do this." She mouthed to herself, feeling her fingers twitch.

With the element of surprise on her side, she stepped out from behind the tree and threw her hand out, causing the person to fly back and slam against another tree. She squeezed her hand, like she was squeezing the person's neck. Her eyes widened when she heard the person choke out her name and realized it was Kaleb.

"Oh, my God." She breathed out, as she lowered her hand and watched him fall to the ground. She ran over to him, kneeling down beside him, as she said, "Oh, my God, Kaleb! I'm-I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"It's okay." He panted, as he rubbed his throat. "I guess it's what I get for taking a Cromwell by surprise." He laid his head back against the tree, looking up at her with a slight smile on his face, as he added, "I told you, you were powerful."

"I didn't know I had it in me." Emmalin admitted.

"I did." Kaleb said back as he shot her a grin.

Emmalin smiled back at him, then stood up and held out her hand, as she said, "Come on. I'll help you up."

Once he was on his feet, she began to knock the dirt off of his clothes, as she apologized again, which he brushed aside. If anything, it was nice to see once cornered she would stand up for herself. He always knew she had that power in her and it was nice to see it coming out. He knew if she really let go, really accepted what she was, there would be no stopping her.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" She questioned him.

"I could ask you the same." Kaleb said back. "You know what lives in these parts, right? This is where all the werewolves ended up after Marcel sent them away. They're not big fan of vampires and probably witches too. It's quite dangerous out here." He glanced around for a moment, then looked back at her, as he questioned, "So what are you doing out here?"

"I'm following Mara... or at least trying to." Emmalin admitted. She let out a small chuckle, as she added, "But I'm not very good at the whole following thing. I lost her."

Kaleb rested his hands on his hips, as he blew out a breath and glanced around, before saying, "Okay, I'll search for her and you can go home-"

"No." Emmalin interrupted. "I'm not going anywhere until I find my sister and find out what happened to her."

"But, Emmy, there are wolves-"

"I don't care!" She exclaimed. "You say I'm powerful, so if I do come across something, I can handle it." She flashed him a teasing smile, as she added, "I just handled you."

He chuckled at her words, as he shook his head, then said, "As much as my manly pride hates to admit it, but you did. You bested me." He paused for a moment in thought, then blew out a breath, as he said, "Okay, but you're not doing this alone, okay? I'm coming with you."

"I'm going to guess if I try to talk you into leaving, it won't work, right?" She questioned, already knowing the answer.

"You can't get rid of me, pretty girl." He stated. "I'm tagging along on this little adventure."

"That's what I figured." She said,as she flashed him a small smile. She laid her hand on the charm around her neck, as she softly said, "All I know is, I can't leave her out here. I have to find her."

"And we will." Kaleb said confidently. He reached out to grab her other hand, intertwining their fingers, as he added,"We will find her."

The two walked hand in hand silently for a few minutes, as Kaleb led them further into the woods. He had not been to the bayou much, but he knew it a little better than she did. He glanced over at her a few times, seeing the nervous look on her face, as she messed with the necklace she was wearing.

He came to a quick stop as he asked her, "What is that about?"

"What?" She asked confused.

"That." He said, as he pointed toward her neck. "The necklace you are wearing."

"It's crab's eye... well actually abrus seeds, but-"

"I know what it is." Kaleb interrupted. "And I've seen you wear it before, but this is the first time I've seen you cling to it so much. It's important, no?"

"Yeah, I guess you can say it is." Emmalin answered. "Mara bought it for me. She actually got it from Katie's store not long after we arrived in town."

"So it's recently and she bought it for you." Kaleb mumbled, mostly to himself. A smile appeared on his face, as he said to her,"Take it off."

"What?" Emmalin asked, confused.

"Just trust me." He said, as he held his hand out. As she reached back to unclip it, then lay it in his hand, he explained,"Since she recently bought it for you, we could use this for a spell. There is a connection between you two already and using something like this, like a tether, will make that connection stronger and we can find her."

"But should we-"

"We're far enough away from the city. Marcel won't know." He stated, knowing she was worried about practicing magic.

When she nodded her head in understanding, he held on to one end of the chain, then told her to grab the other end. He told her what words to say, then the two repeated the words together until the necklace began to glow.

"Now what?" Emmalin asked, as she looked up at her boyfriend.

"Now we just follow the necklace." He said. "When we are heading in the right direction, it'll let us know." He took a step in one direction, then backed up to walk another way causing the necklace to begin to blink. He smiled over at her, as he said, "Like so."

He passed the necklace over to her to hold as they began to walk together again, following the necklace, until they came across a clearing and finally saw Mara up ahead. Emmalin called out her sister's name, then rushed over to her, with Kaleb following along behind her.

"What are you two doing here?" Mara asked surprised to see them.

"I followed you." Emmalin admitted.

"Why?" Mara questioned, even though she already knew the answer. She couldn't blame her for wanting answers, she was just surprised that she followed her. That wasn't something her sister would normally do.

"Why?" Emmalin repeated. She gave out a small chuckle in disbelief, as she added, "I followed you cause something happened. Something is going on and I know you want to protect me and I'm sorry for pushing, but we're a team, Mara. Or at least we're suppose to be." She walked closer to her sister, grabbing both of her hands, as she said, "We're Cromwells, we're stronger together, not apart. And we look out for each other, remember? We always have."

"And always will." Mara stated with a small smile. She pulled one of her hands away to lay it on the side of Emmalin's face, as she added, "I just hate worrying you, Emmy. I've always taken care of you, I've always been the fixer. You're suppose to have the normal, care-free life, but instead I've pulled you into this and I hate that. I hate that I can't protect you or shield you from this."

"You don't always have to protect me, Mar." Emmalin said, as she laid her hand on top of her sister's. "Besides I keep hearing how powerful I am, how powerful our bloodline is, so I think I can handle it." She added, seeing Kaleb smile from the corner of her eye.

"This shouldn't be your life, Emmy, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. None of this is your fault." Emmalin said. "And as far as my life goes, I pick whatever life has you in it, Mar. You're my twin, my other half, and I couldn't survive without you."

Mara gave her a tearful smile at her words before pulling her toward her for a hug, holding her twin tightly against her. She knew she wouldn't be able to survive without her either.

The sisters quietly hugged for a few minutes, until Kaleb cleared his throat, then said, "Not to interrupted the sisterly bonding, but what exactly are we doing out here?"

Mara pulled back, releasing her sister, then quickly wiped at her eyes, before turning to look at Kaleb. She blew out a breath, before finally admitting, "Last night I was out here and some witches were sent to kill Hayley's unborn baby. I happened upon the fight, then we got separated." She gestured out her, as she added, "I ended up here and there were two vampires here."

"The vampires and witches were working together?" Emmalin asked, as she lowered her eyebrows in confusion. She never would have imagined those two teaming up.

Mara shook her head, as she said, "I don't think they were."

"I can't see those two working together." Kaleb spoke up and said. "Whoever you two have been working spells for Marcel probably caught wind of it. He probably had vampires following you."

"Do you think he knows about us?" Emmalin questioned as she glanced over at her sister.

"I honestly don't know." Mara answered. "But I hope not."

"Hopefully he's just overly suspicious, but doesn't know anything." Kaleb said. He knew if Marcel did find out about them practicing there would be trouble and he couldn't let that happen. He looked over at his girlfriend as he added, "You need to lay low. No more spells or anything until this blows over." He glanced over at Mara, knowing how important she was to Emmalin, then added, "You should do the same."

"It's not that easy." Mara said.

"Okay, what is going on with you two? Who are you doing these spells for?" Kaleb questioned them.

Mara glanced over at her sister, letting her take the question, but Emmalin just shook her head as she quietly said, "I can't tell you."

"You trust me, right?" He questioned.

"Of course I do. This has nothing to do with trust, Kaleb." Emmalin said. "I don't want to involve you with this." As he opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off, "If Marcel does know about us, we know what will happen. He is going to come after us and I can't have you in the crossfire."

"If something happens to you, I'm going to be in the crossfire, love." Kaleb argued. "I'm not going anywhere."

Mara watched the couple for a moment, seeing how much Kaleb already cared for her sister and was glad Emmalin has that in her life now. She wanted to protect Emmalin the best she could and was relieved to see that someone else wanted to protect her just as well.

But while seeing the two lovingly look at each other, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Klaus and some of the looks she had seen from him aimed toward her lately. She also thought about how he was there for her the night before. She was really shaken up and having him there did calm her. It was a feeling she never really had before. Even though she knew it was best to stay away from the hybrid, it was getting harder and harder to do that.

Realizing the couple was finished talking, she turned her attention to her sister when she called out her name, asking her if she was okay. She shook her head, pushing thoughts of Klaus out as she said, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"So what happened to the vampires?" Kaleb questioned.

"I fought them, with magic, and then I ran away." Mara answered, not wanting to worry her sister by going into too much details of what happened.

Kaleb, glancing around and not seeing their dead bodies, stated, "I guess they got away then. Probably ran straight to Marcel."

"I don't know about that." Mara said, getting both of their attention. "I killed them or at least I think I did." She softly admitted. "That's why I came out here. Cause I wanted to know if I did or didn't."

"But there are no bodies." Kaleb pointed out, as he gestured around them.

"I know." Mara said with a sigh. "So either I didn't kill them or..." Her voice trailed off, as another thought hit her. Maybe someone else moved the bodies. Someone named Klaus.

"Or what?" Emmalin asked when she paused.

"I don't know." Mara said with a shrug, not wanting to tell her about her Klaus theory. She knew her sister would flip if she knew Klaus was at their house the night before, and that was a fight she was not ready for right now. "But don't worry. I'll find out what happened." She added, as she walked past the couple, planning to leave the woods until her sister called out for her to stop.

"Mara, wait-"

Mara turned to look at them, then looked over at Kaleb as she nodded toward her sister, and said, "Take her home and stay with her."

As Kaleb nodded his head, accepting the request, Emmalin spoke up and said, "Wait, what? Where are you going?"

"I need to find out what happened to those vampires, but I also need to know that you are safe just in case." Mara answered. She shot her sister a pleading look, as she added, "Please don't fight me on this, Emmy."

Emmalin was quiet for a moment, then finally gave her a short nod, as she softly said, "Just be careful."

"I will." Mara promised, before she turned and walked away, a destination in mind.

••• ••• •••

Mara trekked up the walkway and onto the porch of the plantation house Klaus was staying at. For the better part of the day she'd been out in the bayou trying to find the place where she'd been attacked by vampires the night before.

Some blood and animal tracks had been found near where Hayley sustained the worst of her attack, but once Mara had located the scene of her own there wasn't anything to be found. She knew she wasn't going to find bodies of the vampires, but she figured if she'd killed them there would at least be the burnt and charred skeletal remains of them burning up in the sun.

As far as she knew, the only person who would have possible gone there for some reason the night before after her attack might have been Klaus. Maybe after sitting with her he'd gone to the bayou to get rid of the vampire's slain bodies before Marcel could find them.

Or, at least that was what she hoped had happened because the other option was that at least one of those vampires was able to get up and walk away. With that thought she looked behind her realizing just how dark it had gotten outside the last thing she should be doing was walking around after dark.

If the vampires had survived the fight then Marcel most definitely knew what she was, and using magic, especially against his following would be a death sentence.

With that thought she rushed forward into the door and nearly slammed it behind her, taking a deep breath she tried to calm down. Funny, she thought, of how she now felt safe in the same house where she thought for sure she was going to be killed before.

Letting out the breath she'd been holding, she turned around and was met with a confused expression on the face of a man she'd never seen before.

"Who are you?" She asked, backing up until her back collided with the closed doors.

"I was just about to ask you the very same thing." He replied.

"I asked you first." Mara shot back at him, her back still flattened against the door.

"You did." He nodded, "Yet, you're the one who came barging into my house."

Her forehead lined with confusion and she looked him over before it slowly dawned on her, "Elijah?"

He cocked his head slightly to the side but when he didn't deny it she assumed she was right.

"I'm Mara." She introduced, finally ungluing her back from the door as she started to walk past him but stopped as he said, "Forgive me, but… that doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"I need to talk to Klaus." She replied nonchalantly with a small shrug as she walked past him further into the house until she found Klaus in the study, standing over the desk as he flipped through an old bound book.

Looking up he gave her a smile as he greeted, "Mara, what a surprise. I didn't know you would be stopping by."

"Me either." She admitted, looking over shoulder when she felt eyes on her back, she saw Elijah in the door way.

"I see you've been making friends in my absence, Niklaus." He stated as he looked between them.

"Oh god…" Mara breathed, her face scrunched as she rubbed her forehead and apologized, "I'm so rude. Elijah's back and you guys probably just want some family time right now… and I just barged in."

She heard Klaus let out a low laugh at her expense as he shut the book he'd been reading and she looked back to Elijah and apologized, "Sorry."

"Oh, it's quite alright… we already got the reunions out of the way." He explained as he stepped farther into the room.

Mara opened her mouth to say she'd just come back tomorrow, but before she could she heard Hayley say her name in a greeting and she gave the werewolf a smile in response. Moments later Rebekah entered the room and even though she liked the blonde vampire, it made her feel even more out of place. Like she was spying on a family meeting and now she wasn't sure if she should linger in the doorway to see what was happening or get out of there.

"I'll, uh… I'll just be going then." She awkwardly said, but before she could even get out of the room Klaus called after her, "Nonsense, have a seat, love."

She looked back to where he was patting the arm of the chair he was sitting in. A part of her still wanted to leave but a bigger part of her was not only curious as what matter would be important enough to result in a family meeting for them but the fact she wasn't sure what might be waiting for her outside.

Walking over to Klaus, she eyed him for a moment as he gave her a smirk and motioned to the arm rest of the chair again.

Slowly, she sat down and turned her attention to Elijah as he started to explain what he'd learning during his time with Davina.

"Everything that brought us here to New Orleans was a lie. This story that Sophie Deveraux fabricated –this struggle for control of the French quarter, this war between vampires and witches: wasn't over territory at all. This was over Davina."

Elijah kept Mara's full attention as he explained to them about the harvest that the witches in New Orleans perform, a way to pay tribute to their ancestors and keep the magic flowing. Apparently, it was a rather barbaric ritual which concluded with four young witches being sacrificed as lore had it, those witches would be resurrected and the link to magic stronger than ever.

But this harvest was never completed when Marcel interrupted it and saved the last young witch from being killed –that witch was Davina.

"Eight months ago Sophie Deveraux and her sister Jane-Anne lost everything. Now, just four months after that a young, pregnant girl wanders into their restaurant and suddenly all hope is renewed." Elijah said, watching Hayley as he spoke.

"Jane-Anna actually sacrificed her life so that her sister could use you to find Davina." He added, pointing to Klaus.

"If Sophie Deveraux is successful in capturing Davina, then she can return Jane-Anne's daughter back to life. We thought we'd come here to wage a war for power… but this is about family. In order to return her niece back to life Sophie will fight to the death." He finished with a heavy sigh.

Mara's thoughts went straight to her sister and she thought of the lengths she'd go to for Emmalin.

"Which makes Sophie more dangerous than anyone." She realized out loud and Elijah nodded.

"Then the link the witches put between me and Sophie needs to be broken." Hayley thought out loud as her hand rested on her swollen stomach.

"I'm working on that." Elijah assured her, as he explained he was going to attempt to have Davina complete a spell to break the link.

"Are you sure she can do it?" Hayley questioned.

"She has the power, there is no question there." Elijah said, "However; the focus and resolve it would take to complete such a spell, that will be the hard part. But she's our best hope."

"Not necessarily." Klaus broke his silence and Mara didn't even need to look beside her to know he was talking about her.

Giving Hayley an apologetic look, Mara argued, "I don't know if I'm strong enough to do a spell like that."

"You're a Cromwell." Rebekah pointed out, as if the name carried a great weight with it.

"Yeah, apparently not a very good one." Mara breathed out, before looking back to Klaus and seeing the look on his face she said, "I'll talk to Emmy, maybe between the both of us we can break the link… but it's going to take some time."

It was a little while later that Mara stepped out onto the front porch and took her phone out to call Emmalin, she needed to warn her that they didn't just wander into a war between witches and vampires –it went so much deeper than that and Davina seemed to be the key to it all.

She knew her twin sister wanted to keep as much distance between herself and the vampires as possible, but that wasn't an option anymore. Sophie Deveraux had to be stopped and the link between Hayley and Sophie broken.

••• ••• •••

After arriving back at the house, Emmalin took a long shower, feeling hot and sweaty after their trip to the bayou. Afterwards, she walked into the living room, finding Kaleb sitting on the couch watching television. When he saw her enter the room, he shut the tv off and sat the remote down on the coffee table in front of him.

"Mara's not back yet?" Emmalin questioned, as she walked over toward him.

"No. She's still out." Kaleb answered.

"I wonder where she was going, what she has planned." She wondered out loud.

"I don't know." Kaleb said with a shrug. "You Cromwells keep a lot of secrets."

"Kaleb-"

"No, I know." He interrupted. "You want to protect me, but..." He blew out a breath, as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "But you don't have to, love. You told your sister earlier today that you two are stronger together and I honestly feel like we are too." He reached out to grab one of her hands, as his eyes stared into hers, and asked, "Don't you feel it? When we're together? When we do a spell? That power between us?"

"I feel it." Emmalin softly said, as she flashed him a smile.

He pulled on her hand, pulling her toward him to sit on his lap. He brushed her damp hair aside, as he quietly said, "Then let me in, Emmy, let me help, let me be there for you."

"It's not that I don't want to. You're in, Kaleb, I have let you in." She laid her hands on the side of his neck, before continuing,"I've never trusted anyone as quick as I have you. Mara has always told me I am too trusting, but this was some new record." She let out a small chuckle, then grew serious, as she added, "And I just don't want to lose you."

"I'm here, pretty girl, and I'm not going anywhere." He promised her, before he leaned forward to press his lips against hers.

The two were in the middle of kissing, when she heard her phone go off. She pulled away, ending the kiss, then stood up to scoop her cell phone up from the coffee table. Seeing that it was Mara calling, she told Kaleb she would be back before she left the living room for privacy.

Once she was gone, he blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. He hated to push her, but he knew something was going on, he knew she was in the middle of something terrible and all he wanted to do was help.

He wasn't as trusting as her, he was more like Mara, he had a hard time trusting people, but with Emmalin everything was different. He was falling fast and that didn't scare him at all. Everything having to do with her felt right, but knowing she was in the middle of something dangerous is what scared him. He knew if Marcel was sending vampires to follow one of them, then he must be aware of them and that would be disastrous for one or both of the girls.

Hearing her walk back into the room, he quickly raised his head, then lowered his eyebrows in concern when he saw the look on her face. Whatever the phone call was about, it had upset her.

"What is it?" He questioned, as he stood up from the couch.

Emmalin shook her head and stuttered out a few words, before saying, "It's just... everything-everything is messed up. It's not like I thought-like we thought. Everything is so much worse."

"Emmalin, what is wrong?" Kaleb asked seriously, as he walked over to her, laying his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him, as he added, "Talk to me. Tell me what is wrong."

"He thought someone was conspiring against him, and in a way they were. They were basically using his baby as leverage to get what they wanted." Emmalin mumbled, as if in a daze. She was still trying to process everything her sister just told her.

Now that Elijah has returned home, he had clued the others in on what was really going on around them. The witches didn't bring the originals to town for a power struggle between them and Marcel; it was about a young girl- a witch named Davina. They needed Davina in order to complete something called the Harvest.

"They who?" Kaleb asked confused.

Emmalin blinked, looking into his blue eyes as if seeing him for the first time. She cleared her throat and tried to pull away from him, as she mumbled out, "Nothing. It's-It's nothing."

"Hey, no, talk to me." Kaleb said, as he held on to her, keeping her in front of him. "Who are you speaking of?"

Emmalin blew out a breath, as much as she wanted to protect him, she also hated lying to him. It was eating her up inside to keep him in the dark. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, before she said, "The witches. They tricked Klaus into coming here. We thought they just wanted help with Marcel and his men, but it's much more than that."

"Wait... that's who you've been helping?" Kaleb questioned. "You've been helping Klaus? The original?"

"Original hybrid actually." Emmalin corrected.

"Hybrid?" Kaleb asked surprised, as he took a step back from her. Like anyone else in their world, he had heard about the original family and even heard a rumor that Klaus was so much more than just a vampire, but he was never sure if he actually believed that or not. That always seemed too far-fetched to him. Which he realized was a weird thought considering what he is. If witches, vampires and werewolves were real, of course hybrids could be real too.

Seeing the look on his face, she rubbed her forehead, as she said, "I know, I know, it's crazy."

"Crazy?" Kaleb repeated. "Emmy, it's suicidal! What were you thinking?"

"I didn't have a choice." Emmalin explained. "A person like Klaus doesn't take the answer no very well."

"He made you do a spell for him? The night of the gala?" He questioned, even though he pretty much knew the answer already.

"Yeah." Emmalin admitted with a nod. "He wanted us to try to find his brother, but the spell failed and apparently we were lucky enough to tell the tale."

"I don't think it was luck. He still needs something from you two." Kaleb guessed. From the rumors he heard about Klaus, he was a ruthless killer that used people to get what he wanted. He was the last kind of person he wanted around his girlfriend. She was in too deep.

Emmalin nodded her head in agreement, as she said, "He knows Marcel has a secret weapon, a witch, and now he has a secret weapon himself."

"Two powerful Cromwell witches." Kaleb added, as he ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "If someone wanted to start a war; a supernatural war, your kind is exactly what someone would want on their side."

"I don't know why everyone keeps thinking me and Mara can do all these amazing things." Emmalin exclaimed. "Our ancestors might have been all powerful, but it doesn't mean we are."

"But you are! Emmalin, you have no idea how powerful you are. If you were to really let go, really tap into your power, you would be surprised what you can do." Kaleb argued. "Your bloodline has been feared and respected for centuries, and the twin bloodline is even stronger. When your light and her dark magic link up, there is nothing more powerful than that."

"You really know a lot about my family." She mumbled, as she folded her arms across her chest. When a thought crossed her mind, she felt her heart drop, and couldn't stop herself from quietly asking, "Is that why you are with me?"

"What?" Kaleb asked shocked at her question. He felt like he had to have heard her wrong. "How could you even ask me that?"

"I'm sorry, I don't- I hate asking that, but it's just..." She paused for a moment to get her emotions under control, before she continued, "Ever since I arrived in this town, I feel like someone is always wanting something from us. I guess I just... I need to know what is in this for you? What exactly do you want from me?"

Kaleb blew out a breath, then walked over to her, laying his hands on either side of her face, as he said, "I want you, love. All I want from you is you." He leaned forward to press his lips against hers for a gentle kiss, feeling that spark he always felt anytime he was near her or touched her. He pulled back to look at her, as he added, "I don't care how powerful you are, in the end, I'm here cause of the way you make me feel. It's new and scary, but a good scary." He smiled at her before saying, "A good, crazy, scary."

Emmalin smiled at his words and placed her hands on top of his, as she said, "I love our kind of crazy."

"I love it too." He said, before kissing her again.

After he pulled away, she shot him an apologetic smile, as she said, "I'm sorry for asking you that-"

"It's okay." He interrupted. "I understand why you would question me, but you should never doubt my intentions for you. I fancy you, Emmy, and nothing will change that."

"Good to know." She quietly said with a smile.

"Now we just have to find a way to get you out of this mess." Kaleb said, wanting to do whatever he could to protect her.

"I don't think there is a way out." Emmalin said, as her face fell. "Things are just going to get worse and even more out of control, and I don't know how I am going to get through it."

"By not being alone." Kaleb stated. He ran a finger over her bottom lip, as he added, "I'm going to be by your side, pretty girl. Every step of the way. You won't be alone, you won't ever be alone."

Emmalin smiled at his words, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped up on her tip toes to hug him tightly against her.

The war between the vampires and witches was starting to heat up and she knew there was no out for her and her sister. They were just going to be pulled further into the whole mess, but she hoped with Kaleb by her side she could get through it. He kept her calm and grounded, with him around she felt like there was nothing she couldn't do.

••• ••• •••

Hearing the door to the house open Mara looked over her shoulder to see Klaus pulling the door shut behind him.

"I thought you'd gone home." He said, his voice quiet as he sat down on the porch step beside her.

"I was going to…" She breathed before nodding to the house as she continued, "But after all that, I'd forgotten I had a reason I'd come here in the first place."

"And here I thought you'd just missed me." He said with a coy smile before nudging her and saying, "Well, out with it."

Mara shook her head with a smile of her own, she wasn't going to say it out loud –especially not to him but since she'd woke up that morning and he wasn't there she had been missing him.

"After last night, you know, after I fell asleep and you left did you go out to the bayou?" She questioned.

When he raised his eyebrows, but held his silence she explained, "I went back earlier today and both of them were gone… no bodies, no piles of ash… no burnt skeletons. It was gone, like it never even happened in the first place."

"And you're worried you didn't kill them and they reported back to Marcel, is that it?" Klaus asked her, but he already knew the answer.

"I'm having visions of being burned at the stake or stoned to death." She tried to joke, but there was some truth to her statement –she was scared about being killed over what she was.

"I would never let that happen." He said, watching her from the corner of his eye as she looked back to him, her brown eyes seemed full of question as she watched him.

"Besides, you have nothing to worry about. I took care of the bodies." He finally admitted, his words not bringing all the comfort she'd hoped they would as she blew out a breath and asked, "Bodies? Meaning they were dead when you got there…"

"Would it ease your mind if I said differently?"

"Not if it's a lie."

Rubbing her face she sighed, "I guess I need to look at the big picture, right? They're dead and no one's going to be leading a witch hunt through town after me and Emmy."

"Not tonight at least. After all, how can you be my secret weapon if everyone knows what you are?" He joked back.

Nodding she stood up and leaned against one of the large pillars of the porch and said, "Thank you." Her eyes locked with his as he stood up and faced her, she added, "Uh, thanks for last night too… I'm normally not so easily shaken up."

"No, I'd guess not. Hayley said you were in the bayou searching for poisonous snakes."

Leaning her head back she laughed and clarified, "Just one snake, actually. I needed it for a protection spell for my house."

"Why, what happened?" He asked, immediately showing concern on his face.

"Someone broke in. Nothing was missing that we could tell but it shook my sister up really badly so I wanted to put a type of barrier up, make it a safe place." She explained to him, when the worried look didn't fade from his features she assured him, "Don't worry, obviously it wouldn't have been a vampire, you're the only one who's been invited in. So your secret weapon is still secret."

He wasn't concerned about it being a vampire, he was concerned for her safety.

It was clear to see that something else was bothering her though. So when she told him goodnight and started to walk past him, he gently grabbed her arm to keep her in place as he questioned, "What is it, love?"

She'd never been one to openly talk that much about her feelings or to let someone in, but there was something about him that made her feel safe enough to talk to him.

"You've been around for a really long time… have you ever seen a witch go bad? Like… consumed in darkness and black magic?"

"More than once, why?" He asked her, his voice quiet as they stood just inches apart on the dark porch.

"It's just… Emmalin and I, our magic is the strongest when we work together but we couldn't make a locator spell work to find Elijah. Then I get attacked in the bayou and I'm suddenly strong enough to murder two vampires? How is that possible?" She breathed, her voice barely over a whisper as if she were even afraid for him to hear what she'd said.

"I don't know, there's an infinite number of factors that can affect magic. You clearly felt threatened-"

She cut him off, "I have another theory…"

Pulling her eyes away from his face she looked down and explained, "What if that spell I used on the vampires was so strong because it was dark magic? Because it was meant to hurt something and not help?"

He was silent, knowing she had more to say but seemed to be debating with herself on whether she should.

"I liked it." She finally whispered, as she pinned her eyes shut. "The rush I got from using that spell… hurting them, I liked it."

What if she was going dark and didn't even realize it? She had no idea how it would even happen. Would it be a sudden change, like flipping a switch or would it a gradual thing?

What was even more disheartening was that she didn't know if she'd even be aware of the change, maybe she'd go on thinking she was the same but Emmalin and everyone around her would see how different she was.

"Maybe you're just starting to realize who you really are, love. This world of vampires, werewolves… magic –you've only just discovered it and believe me, there's still so much you've yet to see."

She swallowed hard as their eyes met and a soft, night breeze blew over the yard and porch. She started to turn her head away to avoid holding eye contact when her heart skipped a few beats, but he reached out brushing the hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. He kept his hand on the side of her face and didn't let her turn away. "And as for enjoying what you did to those vampires… don't feel bad about that."

Leaning in close he said, "They deserved worse than what they got for harming you."

Her formerly racing heart seemed to stand still, as did time in the moment when she was aware of how close they were standing and the feeling of his breath on her lips as he spoke.

She wanted so much in that moment; to lean into his touch as his hand still remained against the side of her face but most of all she wanted to let him close the distance between them when he started to bring his face closer to hers.

"I need to go." Her voice sounded weak, almost helpless, as she pulled away from him and stepped onto the step below the one they'd been standing on. It took her a moment to get her bearings before she walked away into the dark yard without looking back.

As much as she wanted to still be in that moment with him, it was wrong and she knew that. The situation in the quarter was now more dangerous than before and her first concern needed to be keeping Emmalin and herself safe, which also meant not getting any more involved with Klaus than she already was.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding the story. Also big thanks to NicoleR85, xxxRena, SerenaLena, SmellYourScentForMiles, Land of a billion lights, firewieldermera, Guest and Guest for reviewing. Don't forget you can follow me on tumblr for story related things. Link is up on my profile!  
**


	11. Fruit of the Poisoned Tree

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 11 – Fruit of the Poisoned Tree**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin flipped through the book of spells in front of her; her grimoire. The night before after Mara told her they needed to find a way to unlink Hayley and Sophie, both girls had searched their books, looking for the right spell to use.

"Wait..." She called out, getting her sister's attention. "I think I found one that will work."

Mara glanced over at her sister, a smile appeared on her face, as she said, "That's great, Emmy."

"Yeah, let's just hope we can do it." Emmalin mumbled as she glanced over the words, trying to take them in.

"We can do it. I know we can." Mara said, confidently.

Emmalin raised her head to look at her sister, seeing the serious expression on her face, then glanced over at their uncle on the other side of the room. He silently stood off to the side as his nieces searched in their books. There was much he wanted to say, but he stayed quiet until Emmalin asked him, "Do you think we can do this spell?"

Erik didn't say anything at first, just walked over toward the table the two were seated at in his library. He laid his hands on the table, leaning toward them, as he said, "I think there is nothing you two can't do, but..."

"But what?" Emmalin questioned when he paused.

"But doing something like this... trying to unlink two people is a big spell." Erik explained. "It's a much bigger spell than the locator spell and you saw what happened with that."

"We're stronger now. We can do this." Mara said, a hint of attitude in her tone. She knew her sister didn't fully believe in her ability and she didn't need him knocking her down more.

"I've been meaning to ask you..." Emmalin began to say, turning her attention to her uncle. "Is there a herb or plant that could mess up a spell?"

"Yes, there are some things that could block us while doing a spell." Erik answered with a nod. "Break our concentration and as you know that is important while performing a spell."

"So you know all of these plants and herbs?" Emmalin continued to question.

"I do and I can teach you two about them when the time is right." Erik said, as he laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. He had taught them about some plants and herbs, but there were still more they needed to learn.

"Okay." Emmalin mumbled, as she lowered her head to look at the grimoire, not noticing the look Mara was giving her. She was curious why her sister was asking those questions.

"But first there are many more things I need to teach you two." Erik added. "You are not ready for this kind of spell."

"Well then you need to speed up the process and get them ready." They heard Klaus say, as he walked into the room unannounced.

"They are not ready." Erik stated slowly, as he stood up tall. "Maybe in a few weeks or so-"

"We don't have weeks." Klaus interrupted, as he shot the other man a look, as if to say we had a deal. "Cause of the pesky elders the timetable has been moved up. This needs to happen now!"

"What happened?" Mara asked with a concerned look on her face.

Emmalin lowered her eyebrows in thought as she watched how the two looked at each other. She didn't think there would ever come a time where she would feel comfortable around the hybrid, but her sister didn't seem scared at all.

"The elders used the needle of sorrows, a dark object, on Sophie." Klaus explained. "Now we need to break that link sooner rather than later."

"This is impossible." Erik spoke up. "This is too big for them. I need more time."

"You have a few hours." Klaus said, as he placed his hands behind his back. He shot Erik a smirk, as he added, "Make it happen, mate."

Without another word, the original turned and began to walk out of the room. Erik called out after him, then followed him to have a word with him, leaving the twins alone. Mara pushed her grimoire aside and leaned toward her sister, whispering out her name to get her attention.

"Why were you asking him about plants?" She questioned.

"Just something I was thinking... trying to figure out why the locator spell didn't work." Emmalin answered. She glanced behind her, making sure they were still alone, before she looked back at her sister, then said, "Kaleb recognized something in the bundle of herbs. He said the plant breaks our concentration, it would mess up a spell."

"So you think Erik sabotaged us." Mara stated.

"Maybe... I don't know." Emmalin said. "I mean, I can't understand why he would do that, but then again, what other explanation is there. All I keep hearing is how powerful we are, so why couldn't we do that spell?"

"Hmm." Mara murmured. She thought about her talk with Klaus recently, when she wondered if maybe the reason she could attack the vampires in the bayou was cause of her dark magic, and maybe it still had something to do with that, but maybe it was also Erik. Maybe he was purposely trying to hold them back, she just didn't know why he would do that.

"Or maybe I'm just being paranoid." Emmalin added. "Things are just so out of control and crazy, it's hard to figure out who to believe and who to trust."

Mara reached out to lay her hand on top of her sister's, flashing her a smile, as she said, "You know you can always trust me." After Emmalin smiled back, she added, "And as far as everyone else, we'll get it figured out. Just watch your back and be careful of who you trust. Being paranoid is okay, that is what is going to keep you safe. Trust your gut, okay?"

"Okay." Emmalin said, as she gave her sister a nod. She was normally more trusting, but since arriving in New Orleans, she knew she needed to be more careful. She didn't know if their uncle could be trusted yet and she definitely didn't trust Klaus. She trusted her sister though, who thought doing this spell was a good idea, and for that, she would do what she could to make it happen. She had to believe together they could do it. Hayley's unborn baby was counting on them.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin clutched her grimoire tightly against her chest as she followed her sister up the steps to the plantation house which had become the living quarters for the originals.

Her eyes darted back and forth nervously as they neared the door, she paused expecting her sister to knock but instead Mara walked inside –leaving the door open for Emmalin to follow her.

She'd had a bad feeling about the plan since the moment she'd found out what Klaus wanted them to do earlier that day.

"Mara…" She whispered, not sure if anyone was nearby to listen in on them. From what she'd learned vampires had a very heightened sense of hearing.

But her twin sister didn't reply as she easily navigated the large floor plan of the house to the back door, causing Emmalin to wonder how many times her sister had been inside of the house.

"How is she?" Mara asked once they were outside.

"Burning up!" Rebekah exclaimed as she stood from where she was crouched down next to Hayley and Elijah.

Emmalin's eyes were wide as she looked around at everyone, it was bad enough when she'd had to be around Klaus but now she was around three original vampires and a pregnant werewolf carrying the baby of the worst one.

Before they'd arrived Mara had given her a condensed version of the situation and everyone's names, but the longer she stood there the more her nerves faded.

Her eyes landed on Hayley and she felt bad for her, it was clear to see she was in pain and very scared. She hated herself for thinking it, but a part of her wondered if it would be better if she lost the baby. Klaus Mikaelson himself was considered an abomination against the laws and balance of nature but that baby growing inside of Hayley should have never came to be. It went against everything she'd been led to believe in her short time as a witch.

"Mara!" She said a little louder, finally getting her attention.

Taking her jacket off and tossing it onto one of the chairs next to the pool, Mara turned and asked, "Yeah, Emmy?"

"Why are we doing this?" She whispered, looking around as she continued, "Are we sure this is the right thing to do?" She couldn't help but wonder if Mara was so focused on helping because Klaus was involved and she didn't want them going into this for the wrong reasons. Plus, she was afraid the more they helped Klaus, the more he'd expect from them and this was already a huge spell. It would require a lot more magic than the locator spell they'd tried before.

"We have to do this." Mara replied, as if there were no other option.

"Aside from a bloody and painful death by Klaus if we refuse to help… why are you doing this?" Emmalin questioned.

Mara looked over to where Elijah was sitting with Hayley and nodded to the original vampire when he looked back at her.

"I like Hayley." Mara admitted, with a small laugh she thought of how many time she'd helped the pregnant wolf out of life and death situations as she added, "She's kind of inadvertently became a pain in my ass, but I like her just the same. What the witches here are doing is wrong and we have to try and fix this."

"This, uh…" Emmalin breathed, still clutching tightly onto her grimoire, "This doesn't have anything to do with the fact that the baby she's carrying is Klaus' baby?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mara asked, but then her attention was drawn over to where the witch Sophie Deveraux was laying some bottles of herbs and plants out on a table.

"What is that?" Mara asked, walking closer and Emmalin stayed right behind her, not wanting to distance herself much from her sister in the midst of all these vampires where she felt completely out of place and unsafe.

Looking up, Sophie looked between the twins before saying, "Just some herbs to add to the pool water… to help it cool it down."

Mara's eyes scanned over the table, most of the plants she recognized but a few she didn't and that made her uncomfortable.

"Emmy's going to do this part." Mara announced, staring the witch down.

Emmalin's eyes widened, she'd been learning so much about plants and herbs lately but she wasn't sure if she was skilled enough for this. Taking a deep breath she tried to remind herself that she was strong enough to do this, she just needed to believe in herself, if Kaleb were there he'd reassure her of that.

Sophie let out an amused laugh like she thought what Mara was saying was either a joke or a polite statement and not an order. But as she picked up one of the bottles she gasped in pain and dropped it to the table as she stared down to the her bright red skin where it had been burned from the bottle heating up in her hand.

Mara's lips curved into a smirk as she repeated, "My sister can take care of this."

"I've got this under control." Sophie argued with her, but barely got her words out before Mara cut her off.

"No, I don't trust you. I'm here because I'm trying to save Hayley and the baby, what's your end game? Keep yourself linked to her so you keep endangering her life? I don't think so… now step back from the table so Emmy can take over." Mara confidently said as she folded her arms over her chest and stared Sophie down.

In her mind the entire harvest ritual was completely barbaric and she didn't blame Davina for not wanting to go through with it, the entire thing disgusted her and that was clear from the look on her face.

"Well now, if I were you… I'd do what she says."

Emmalin's shoulders tensed at the familiar voice and she looked over to see Klaus standing directly beside her twin sister, a sight she didn't like. She didn't like or trust him, not after he'd threatened them and forced them to work for him. The fact that he'd killed Katie without even blinking turned her stomach and terrified her, if he could take a life like that and not care in the slightest –what would happen if they couldn't perform their spell right? Or when he no longer needed them around. What if by that point they'd seen too much and needed to be eliminated?

Swallowing hard, Emmalin swayed slightly feeling light headed from everything rushing through her mind, she already felt weak like she'd already done the spell.

A pair of hands landed gently on her shoulders and stopped her from falling over. She opened her mouth to say thanks until she realized it was Elijah, gasping she jumped back and he held his hands up to show he meant her no harm.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you. You just looked like you were going to land on the ground at any second." He explained, before walking past her to pick up a glass of water to bring back to Hayley.

"Emmy, it's okay… you have to calm down." Mara assured her, then muttered under her breath as she ran her hands up and down her arms, "You've got me feeling like I'm about to jump out of my skin over here."

Taking a deep breath she started to calm down some, until she saw Klaus grab her sister's arm and pull her off to the side.

Emmalin looked up to see Sophie lighting a roll of herbs on fire, which she laid down on a glass plate before saying, "It's all yours." and walking away.

Just as she stepped up to the table she caught a familiar scent and looked down to see the herbs Sophie had lit on fire. Glancing over she saw the pitcher of water Elijah had picked up moments ago. Filling a glass half-full, she dropped the burning bundle into the water and let it soak some before she pulled it back out and separated the herbs to reveal some dried purple and blueish tinted flowers. She recognized them as the same plant her uncle had used the night they'd tried the locator spell.

"Lobelia…" She breathed, looking over to where Sophie was standing as she realized her sister was right, they couldn't trust her, she'd just tried to sabotage their spell.

Taking a few steps closer to where her sister was standing she listened as Mara and Klaus talked between them in a hushed tone.

"We have no idea how to undo the curse from the needle of sorrows, that's way beyond the scope of what Emmy and I have been taught. Dark objects… Erik hasn't even taught us about those yet." Mara said.

"But you did find something?" Klaus asked her, glancing past Mara to where her twin sister was so obviously eavesdropping on them.

"Yeah, my grimoire didn't have many helpful spells for this but Emmy found an unlinking spell in hers that we're pretty sure we can make work for this." Looking past him to where Hayley was sitting, her voice gained a little more confidence as she clarified, "We're going to make this spell work."

He nodded, "I hope so, but if not I have a back up plan." He admitted to her. He'd worked with Father Kieran to have a witch elder named Agnes, the one who'd used the needle of sorrows on Hayley brought to the church.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket he saw the time and said, "Which is what I need to tend to now, you'd better get started."

She watched with a stunned look on her face as he turned and walked back inside of the house. Hayley was pregnant with his baby and if anyone should be there with her in that moment, it was him.

Looking over to her sister, she anxiously tapped her foot against the cement before sighing defeated and calling out, "Klaus, wait!" as she followed him into the house.

"Mara!" Emmalin yelled, but her sister either didn't hear her or decided talking to Klaus was more important.

"We need to start this now!" Elijah announced as he got into the pool and helped Hayley in with him.

Emmalin picked up the bowl of herbs she'd been working on mixing and started for them, coming to a stop when Rebekah stepped in her way and nodded to the metal bowl, "All set?"

"I, uh…" she breathed, looking back to the house and hoping her sister hadn't left with Klaus, there was no way she could a spell this level on her own. They'd have to not only unlink Sophie and Hayley, but it would involve unraveling another witches spell in the process. According to Erik, they were nowhere near this level as it was.

"Relax would you… besides, I already had dinner." Rebekah joked, but the hilarity of it was wasted on Emmalin whose eyes widened in shock at her words.

Clearing her throat, she nodded to the pool, "Add the contents of the bowl to the water… we can start the spell once my sister gets back."

Looking towards the house Rebekah questioned, "Did she wander off with Nik?"

"She'll be back. She wouldn't leave me here." Emmalin said confidently as she walked back over to the table for her grimoire, debating whether she should go into the house in search of her sister or not.

She stood still watching as Sophie instructed Elijah to hold Hayley in the water to help get her heart rate and body temperature down. Finally she let out a sigh and announced to anyone who cared to listen, "I'm going to get Mara."

Spinning on her heels she walked into the house where she found her sister standing near the door with Klaus. Normally, she wasn't the type to spy on anyone, especially her sister who would be incredibly angered by it. But apparently, there was a lot Mara had been keeping from her lately.

"You need to be here with Hayley, Klaus… if anyone should be with her right now, it's you." Mara said, confused as to why he wasn't more concerned with making sure both mother and child came through the spell and situation alright.

"Oh, I think she'll be fine with Elijah's help, don't you?" He asked with raised eyebrows, it was clear how his brother felt towards the werewolf and equally as clear that Hayley seemed much more at peace with him around.

"Yeah, probably so… but that's your baby the witches are trying to roast. You can't just leave all of us here… you can't just leave me here like this; what if Emmy and I can't do this spell?" She asked, her voice raised with emotion and her tongue sharp.

Emmalin's eyebrows furrowed at the way her sister spoke so openly to him, normally she'd act invincible to everyone –as if there was nothing she couldn't accomplish, yet here she was showing vulnerability to him.

"Mara!" He spoke loudly over her when she continued to panic.

"What?" She questioned.

"I have to go. But love, I'm leaving you here because I trust you can do this." He said, and she understood immediately how big of a deal that was to him. He was trusting her to save his unborn child and now along with being worried about the baby and Hayley –she feared she'd let him down too.

As he opened the door to leave, she asked in a much calmer voice, "You're really going to trust the girl who doesn't trust anyone to save your unborn child?"

He paused in the doorway a small smile on his lips as he turned and said, "I am."

She let out the breath she'd been holding and shook her head back and forth, trying to remind herself that she wasn't just capable of doing this, she had to do it.

He leaned down, so close she thought at first he was going to kiss her until he moved his face next to hers and quietly whispered, "Your sister is watching us."

With that he turned and left as Mara turned around and saw her sister, whose eyes widened as she stammered out, "Hayley's fever is getting worse… we need to get started."

Normally Mara would have pushed her until she caved for answers on why she'd been spying on her, but at the moment her first concern had to be to save Klaus' baby.

The sisters walked outside and knelt down facing each other next to the pool as Emmalin opened her grimoire and then complained, "You didn't even bring your grimoire, Mar."

"I know what I need to say… and this is your spell, Em. You're taking the lead here. You can do this, Emmy. " She reminded her, which only increased her sisters nerves infinitely more.

Taking in a deep breath, Emmalin released it as she began to say, "It's better to learn with the light than to be lost in the dark…"

Right on cue Mara continued, "And it is far better to learn to see in the dark than to shine a light and be blinded."

Mara nodded reassuringly as her twin sister looked at her and said, "But just like the light…"

"Needs the dark…" Mara said, as she linked hands with her sister, and together they both finished, "Nothing is more powerful and together we can't be stopped."

Emmalin gasped as the power started to surge through her again and Mara kept her eyes tightly pinned shut until she felt her sister gripping onto her hand tighter in fear and anxiety.

"Now, Emmy!" Mara instructed and Emmalin looked down to the page she'd opened her grimoire too.

Emmalin closed her own eyes, focusing on the shared power current running between her and her twin sister as she began to recite the spell she'd memorized earlier that day, "Phasmatos omnio ligor coldate sangorium...phasmatos omnio ligata soluto..."

The power buzzing through them turned into an almost painful electric buzzing as both sisters clutched onto the other one's hand.

"Phasmatos omnio ligor coldate sangorium-" Emmalin started over, but her eyes opened as it felt like her body was being pricked by a thousand tiny needles all at once.

"What's happening?" She cried out, her breathing labored and despite her sisters best efforts to pretend like she wasn't also in agonizing pain she could tell by the look on her face that she was feeling the same thing.

"We're unraveling someone else's magic… it's not supposed to be easy."

"Ahh!" Emmalin cried out as she started to pull away from her sisters grip but Mara held onto her tighter as she closed her own eyes and yelled out, "Phasmatos omnio ligor coldate sangorium...Phasmatos omnio-"

"Phasmatos omnio ligata solute." Emmalin scrambled to say and quickly caught back up with the spell as she added in the last line, "Phasmatos omnio ligata soluto vingulia cordit."

Mara's mouth hung open from pain the coppery taste of her own blood stung her tongue as it started to run from her nose and when she looked up she saw her sister was not only bleeding from her nose, her face looked ghostly pale with her eyes fluttering like she was going to pass out.

"Em!" Mara yelled as the wind around them picked up and brought with it an icy blast as the water in the pool started to splash all around them from Mara pulling on it for energy to keep going.

Emmalin nodded in agreement, knowing they had to try again. As weak as she felt, they were in too far now to pull back and have it be for nothing. Plus, she needed this –she needed to complete this spell and know that she was as strong as Kaleb kept telling her she was, to prove it to herself she had to keep going.

"Phasmatos omnio ligor coldate sangorium phasmatos omnio ligata solute phasmatos omnio ligata soluto vingulia cordit." They both called out loudly, their voices cutting through harsh wind and sounds of water lapping against the cement edges of the pool.

The pain stopped and the winds died down around them, the water was still and both girls let go of the others hands. Mara fell back on the chlorine water coated cement and Emmalin shifted around to where she was on all fours, fighting for a breath as she looked up to everyone in the pool and asked in a hoarse voice, "Did it work?"

Hayley who was now standing on her own and not having to be supported by Elijah, nodded with tears of relief in her eyes as she breathed, "I can feel it… it worked."

"Thank god!" Rebekah exclaimed from where she'd been standing watching the entire scene play out, for a while she wasn't sure if the twins were going to succeed with the spell, kill themselves trying or create a whirlwind storm right over the house.

Looking over to Mara as she sat back up and rubbed her hands over her face, Emmalin looked back over the pool and watched as Sophie cut the palm of her hand with her earring and it had no effect on Hayley at all. The link was completely broken.

With red rimmed eyes Hayley looked over Elijah's shoulder to the twins as she silently mouthed, "Thank you."

Mara nodded and somehow found the strength to get to her feet .

Emmalin closed her grimoire and moved it away from the water splashed area as she smiled to herself, not only had she completed a spell she didn't think she'd be able to, but she knew the minute her eyes met Hayley's that she'd done the right thing. She'd just saved one, possibly two lives and it felt good to know she could use her magic to actually save people.

She looked up to see Mara extending a hand to her, which she gladly accepted and stood up. Her legs still felt shaky and she was aware that she still had some dried blood on her face, but overall she was happy.

The twin sisters hugged and Mara said, "You did it Emmy, you saved them!"

"No, Mar… we did it." Emmalin corrected her before stepping back and wiping her nose with her sleeve.

Mara looked back as Elijah left and from what she'd heard, he'd promised Sophie he wasn't going to let Klaus kill Agnes. But from the look on his face, Mara was pretty sure that was because he was going to kill her himself.

"What's going on?" Emmalin asked when she saw him leave.

"I think he's just going to go help Klaus with something." Mara half lied, as she leaned down and picked up her sister's grimoire, groaning as she stood up and waited for the sudden dizzy spell to pass.

Handing it to her sister she said, "Emmy, why don't you go ahead and go home, get some rest for the night."

"You're not coming?" She questioned.

"No, I'm going to make sure Hayley came through everything alright." Mara explained, but Emmalin gave her a disbelieving look as she asked, "You're waiting for Klaus to come back aren't you?"

"What? No." Mara answered a little too quickly to be believable.

Blowing out a heavy breath, Emmalin said, "Mar... I saw you in there with him… I haven't seen you acting like that with anyone in a long time. Normally I'd be happy to see you starting to open up, but not with him. Mara, Uncle Erik was right… sometimes witches have to work with vampires to keep themselves alive. But witches who get mixed up in vampire business wind up dead, and I can't lose you."

A pained look spread over Mara's face as she heard her sister's voice start to crack. Stepping forward she hugged her again, before pulling back and saying, "Don't worry, Emmy. I've got everything taken care of, I always do right?"

Slowly Emmalin nodded, knowing Mara always seemed to get everything taken care of on her own somehow and she wanted to believe the same was true for this situation and that her sister was only remaining on friendly terms with the hybrid to keep them both safe.

"I've got this." Mara reassured her as she nodded towards the door to the house and said, "Just go rest, I'll be home as soon I can. I promise."

••• ••• •••

After leaving the plantation house, Emmalin slowly made her way home. She was still feeling a little drained from the spell, but she was relieved that it worked. All she kept hearing was how powerful she and her sister were and now she finally got it. She felt powerful at the moment; tired, but very powerful.

When she got closer to the house, she raised her head and softly smiled when she saw Kaleb sitting on the porch step waiting for her. He stood up when he saw her heading toward him and met her half way.

"Hey, I stopped by to see if you wanted to watch a film, but you weren't here." He said, as he stopped in front of her. Now that he was closer he could see how drained she looked and even saw a bit of dried blood on her face. Without her even having to say a word he had a good idea where she had been.

"Sorry, I had something to do. We-"

"Had a spell to do." Kaleb interrupted, finishing the sentence for her. When she nodded her head, he let out a sign, as he said, "I thought you weren't going to help Klaus anymore?"

"This wasn't for Klaus." Emmalin said. "Well sorta, but it was mostly for Hayley."

"The pregnant werewolf?" He questioned.

"Yeah." Emmalin said. "The witch elders used the needle of sorrows on Sophie and since she was linked with Hayley it was affecting her too. It was going to make her lose her baby. We needed to break that link..." A smile appeared on her face, as she added, "And we did. We did it, Kaleb. We did this huge spell and it worked. We saved someone and it was... it was an amazing feeling."

He gave her a small smile, glad to see her so happy and glad she was able to see how powerful she was, just like he had been telling her since they met, but knowing she was still working for Klaus worried him. He just didn't want to see her getting wrapped into something and getting hurt or worse.

"For once I could see what you've been saying. That not all magic is bad." She took a closer step toward him, laying her arms loosely around his shoulders, as she continued, "I get it now. I'm starting to see that maybe this, maybe what I am, is a good thing. I see now that maybe I can help people, I can save them, I can make a difference."

Kaleb smiled at her words, as he brushed some hair from her face. "I love seeing that smile on your face, but I just worry about you."

"And I love that you do worry about me, but you shouldn't. I think I'm going to be okay." She gave him a smile, as she added, "Besides I'm a powerful witch, remember?"

"You are powerful, but you are also very important to me." Kaleb pointed out.

"And you're important to me." Emmalin admitted, as she leaned forward to press her lips against his for a tender kiss. She pulled back a moment to rest her forehead against his, as she said,"I'm not sure when Mara will get home, so we can still watch a movie if you want. That is if you want to keep me company?"

"I can do that." Kaleb said with a grin. "I know how much you hate to be alone."

"I do hate it." Emmalin quietly said with a nod. "But I never feel alone when I am with you."

Kaleb smiled at her words before pressing his lips against hers for another kiss, then he took her by surprise by lifting her up; one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back. She rested her arms around his neck and she smiled at him, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"What are you doing?" She questioned with a laugh.

"You look a bit knackered. I thought I would carry you." Kaleb answered. "Besides I have to get the princess home, right?"

"Right." Emmalin said back with a smile. Truth was, she was tired. She was proud of herself for doing a big spell, but was also very drained from doing so.

She laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her toward the house, until she saw something toward the wooded area on the side of the house. Something that made her sit up and kick her legs, as she told him to wait and put her down.

"What is it?" Kaleb asked, as he sat her feet down on the ground.

She didn't say anything, as she rested her hand on his shoulder while removing her shoes. He saw her eyes light up as she ran over toward the side of the house, the soft grass between her toes. He lowered his eyebrows in confusion, not understanding what had her so excited until he got closer and saw her happily spinning around in the middle of several fireflies.

"Look! Fireflies!" She said excitedly. She held out her hand and laughed when one landed on her finger. It had been a long time since she tried to catch fireflies, but seeing those familiar little lights reminded her of her childhood. It made her feel like a kid again, back before she lost her parents, back before she learned what she was and what the world was full of. Back when she was just an innocent little girl with her whole life ahead of her.

Kaleb chuckled at the sight in front of him. In the short time he had been around her, he had seen her smile and laugh plenty of times, but nothing like this. This was the happiest he had ever seen her, she had a genuine smile on her face and her laughter rang all around him.

She didn't look worried or stressed, she looked happy and carefree; the way he assumed she looked before losing her parents and moving there, and the longer he stared at her, the more he felt himself falling for her. He knew it was probably too soon, the two barely knew each other, but he knew in this moment that he was completely crazy about her and he would do everything in his power to never lose her. He would fight against whoever to stay by her side.

"I've never seen anyone get excited over a bug that lights up." Kaleb teased.

Emmalin softly gasped, as she turned to look at him, and said, "These are more than just bugs that light up." She took a step closer to him, as she whispered, "They're best friends with fairies."

"What?" Kaleb asked with a laugh.

"Fireflies and fairies are best friends." She repeated. As several memories hit her at once, her face fell, as she added, "It's something my mom use to tell me when I was a little girl." Seeing that he was waiting for her to continue, she added,"When I was little I was obsessed with fairies. Every bedtime story I was told, had to do with fairies. My mom always said they protected us, that they would keep us safe."

Tears filled her eyes, as she thought about all the stories her mother would make up to tell her. She let out a small chuckle, as she said,"I even had this house that my father made me. He had found this old hollow tree trunk and carved it into a little house. Mom would take me to old antique stores to find little doll house furniture to decorate it with." She shook her head for a moment, as she added, "It's stupid now thinking about it, but it was just a little thing between us."

"It's not stupid." Kaleb softly said, as he ran his thumbs under her eyes, wiping the tears away. "Tell me more about it. How do the fire bugs come into play?"

"Fireflies." She corrected with a small laugh. "Well mom said if you find fireflies outside the house, that meant the fairies were coming to visit that night. She would tell me to make sure the fairy house was set up and to turn the twinkling lights on above my bed so they could see better. Everything had to be completely perfect so they would visit. They left glitter behind so you knew they visited. I would find it all over the fairy house and my bed in the morning."

Kaleb glanced over at the fireflies beside the house, then looked back at her, as he asked, "Do you still have lights above your bed?" As she shook her head, he added, "We'll have to buy you some lights soon then."

"No, we don't have to do that." Emmalin said with a chuckle. "I stopped believing in that a long time ago. It was just nice seeing some again."

"Who knows, maybe fairies are real." Kaleb said with a shrug. When she shot him a look, he laughed, then said, "What? Witches, vampires and werewolves are real. Who knows what else is."

"Well if they are, they didn't do their job." Emmalin quietly said. "They didn't protect us."

"I'm sorry, love." Kaleb whispered, as he laid his hands on the side of her face, brushing a few tears away. He wished there was more he could say, a way to take the pain away, but he knew there was nothing that could take the pain of losing her parents away.

"Do you..." She began to say, her voice cracking with emotion. She cleared her throat, then continued, "Do you think they would be proud of me? Of me and Mara... and the things we're doing? Or would they be ashamed of us, ashamed to call us their daughters? Would they uh, would they hate us; hate what we've become?"

"I don't see how anyone could be ashamed of you or hate you." Kaleb began to say. He cradled her face in his hands, as he continued, "I'm sure you turned out exactly how they wanted you to. You're beautiful, smart, compassionate. You saved someone tonight, you saved an unborn baby. They would be quite proud of you, and Mara, I'm sure."

"They wouldn't be too happy about the Klaus thing." She pointed out.

"Probably not." Kaleb said honestly. "But, I'm sure they would trust you. They would trust your judgement about it and there is nothing you could do that would make them stop loving you."

Emmalin smiled at his words, before stepping closer to him and pressing her lips against his for a gentle kiss. As their lips moved in unison, he moved one hand behind her head, intertwining his fingers in her hair, as his other hand moved down her back to pull her closer to him.

She rested her forehead against his, blowing out a breath, before she whispered out,"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Kaleb pulled back to look at her, as he asked, "Are you sure?"

She nodded her head, then stuttered a few times, before saying, "Yeah, but I mean, not-not for that reason. Not that I don't want to, but I just... it's-it's too soon and I-"

"Hey..." Kaleb said, interrupting her with a laugh. He laid his hands on either side of her neck, as he said, "I wasn't even thinking about that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with me staying all night."

"I'm very okay with that." Emmalin said, as she rested her hands on his shoulders. She leaned forward, rubbing her nose against his, as she whispered, "I just like having you close to me. I don't want to say good night to you, Kaleb, I want to say good morning."

Kaleb smiled at her words, before kissing the tip of her nose. "Then I'll stay, pretty girl. If you need me, I'm here, I'll always be here."

••• ••• •••

After checking on Hayley once more, Mara walked into the living room as she looked at the now familiar decorations –she replayed everything that her sister had told her.

Emmalin was right, she was letting Klaus in past her defenses, past the walls that she'd put up. Up until her sister pointed it out; she hadn't realized just how much it was true.

Walking past the piano, she trailed her fingers across the keys on her way over to the liquor table where she paused for a moment before grabbing one of the crystal glasses and filling it half full.

As she took a drink from it, she turned and saw the mask Klaus had worn the night of the masquerade gala sitting on the shelf in the same spot he'd placed it the night after the gala.

Walking over to it, Mare picked it up and thought about what he'd told her that night, that he was the devil in disguise. There was a degree of truth to that, but not in the way he'd worded it like he appeared human but the devil was inside him. Mara saw it the other way, he appeared like the devil on the outside –but she'd seen past that on more than one occasion.

And those were the moments, the ones where he seemed more human than most that she'd started to fall for him and that scared her on so many different levels. Most of all, if he was a devil, then what did that say about her to feel the way she did.

"Hayley's recovered."

Mara quickly sat the mask back in its place and turned to face Rebekah, hoping she hadn't been spotted with Klaus' mask but it was clear the blonde had seen everything.

"I know." Mara nodded, clearing her throat as she finished off the last of her glass, "I just checked on her."

Rebekah watched the teenager for a few moments before she crossed the room and poured herself a glass.

Mara had been planning on waiting around until Klaus returned, but now she was thinking she needed to get out of there and get home to her sister like she'd promised.

"Since it seems like she's gonna be alright. I'm going to go home, Klaus and Elijah should be back soon and you guys probably just want to be alone after everything."

"On the contrary, I won't be here when my brothers return."

"What?" Mara gasped, "You're leaving?"

"I want to be free." She confided, her voice barely over a whisper, "And I can't have that here… not with Nik around. I don't want any part of this war the witches have cooked up here with the vampires. I've said my goodbyes to Elijah and Hayley."

Finishing off her drink, she patted the skin under her eyes to wipe away a few tears that had slid from her despair ridden eyes.

Mara nodded, "I hope you find what you're looking for." She said sincerely, she'd grown quite fond of the blonde original during her time in New Orleans.

Rebekah nodded and offered a small smile as she said, "I dare say I'll even miss having you around. You're strong… brave, I knew I liked you from the night we met."

Mara laughed as she thought back to the night Rebekah had shown up when some vampires in the quarter were after Hayley, she'd ripped the hearts right from their bodies and Mara had never been more terrified.

"Same here, I mean honestly you terrified me… but I thought you were bad ass."

Rebekah paused in the doorway, lowering her head and smiling before she thought to herself that she wasn't the one Mara needed to be afraid of.

Turning she pulled in a breath as she said, "A bit of friendly parting advice, just between us girls?"

"Yeah, of course."

"My brother fancies you, I can clearly see it and I'm not blind to how you view him as well." She began to say but Mara didn't let her finish as she said, "Oh, no it's not like that, it's-"

But Rebekah had no time for her denials, as she gave her a look and said, "It's just us girls here, don't deny it."

Mara's forehead creased with emotion as she stared back at her, it was bad enough having her own sister call her on that –let alone Klaus' sister.

"You're young." Rebekah pointed out with a sad, weak smile, "It's easy to get caught up in all of this." She motioned to the grand house around them, "But the night you failed at the locator spell and my brother let you live… you should have collected your belongings and your sister and ran… as far away as you could get and never look back."

As if that didn't get the point across she repeated, "You should have gotten out and let him find someone else to work spells and do his bidding."

"I don't know what to say." Mara finally admitted after several moments of heavy silence had passed.

"You don't have to say anything." She sympathized, "Just know that Nik will do what he must to get what he desires most and that is complete and utter power. He will step on and crush whomever he needs to on his climb to the top and he'll only make so many exceptions for a pretty face."

Mara tried to swallow, but her throat felt just as dry as her mouth did and there was a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"He leaves nothing but a trail of heartbreak and despair in his wake. If I were you love, I'd follow my lead. Gather what you have left and leave town… if you're lucky he'll let you go. If not… well, you're as good as dead because my brother ruins everything beautiful he crosses paths with and you'll never truly be free of him."

Mara stood in place a stunned look on her face as she watched Rebekah leave the room and heard the front door shut.

After downing another drink so fast she didn't even taste it, Mara wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and knew she had to get out of there before Klaus got back.

"Hayley, I'm gonna take off but if you start feeling…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the werewolf's room was empty.

"Hayley?" She yelled, remaining silent to see if she'd answer from another room but there was nothing but silence.

Walking back into the living room she stopped dead in her tracks in front of the window as she saw a man she didn't recognize loading a limp body into the back of a car, and she immediately knew the motionless body was Hayley.

Getting into the driver's seat, the man sped off and Mara gasped as she bolted for the front door and down the porch steps so fast she nearly stumbled over her own feet. By the time she made it to the road there was only a set of red tail lights visible just as they disappeared when turning onto a side street.

Raising her hand she thought about doing a spell to bring the car to a stop, but then dropped her hand with a helpless scream out into the dark night. Not only was it too risky for the car to possibly wreck with Hayley inside it but Mara wasn't even sure she had enough strength to do another spell. She was severely wreaked from earlier.

Taking her phone out she brought up Klaus' number and blew out a heavy sigh, seconds before she'd sworn off ever contacting the original again and now she was having to call him. Just before she could hit the send button there was a swoosh noise behind her, like someone moving so fast through the night that it created a wind around them and then all she knew was darkness.

Mara's phone landed on the ground, the screen cracking from the impact followed by her body landing next to it, the screen still on –displaying Klaus' number. Only when he'd return to the house later that night, her phone was all he'd find.

No sign of Hayley and no sign of Mara –both girls seemed to vanish into the dark of night leaving barely a trace behind them.

••• ••• •••

**A/N- Thanks for reading the new chapter. :) As always you can find the link to my Tumblr on my profile here! I'm always posting story related content including gif sets and edits.**

**Thank you to NicoleR85, xxxRena, Guest and Jules for reviewing chapter 10.**

**Remember; it only takes a few moments to leave a review and let me know you're reading but it means so much and keeps me inspired.**


	12. Bloodletting – Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 12 – Bloodletting – Part 1**

••• ••• •••

Mara's eyes narrowed in anger as the cloth covering that had been over her head was pulled off and she finally saw who'd knocked her out, put something over her head and tossed her in the back of an SUV where she'd came to only moments before being roughly pulled inside a building and tied down to a chair.

"Look who finally came too." Marcel said as he stood in front of the weakened teenage witch.

"You know Marcel… if this is the way you treat women, it's no wonder Cami shot you down when you asked her out." Mara's tongue was sharp and her voice had a hiss to it as she struggled against the ropes binding her to the chair.

A smile spread across his lips in amusement at her as he slowly paced the floor in front of her, she watched as he leaned down and picked up a splintered and broken piece of what looked to have once been the back of a chair.

Looking around she noted that they were in what appeared to be an old bar and she wondered if they were still in the quarter or if she'd been moved farther away, she wasn't sure how long she'd been out during the drive there.

"I've got a problem." He said, "And I'm thinking you're just the one to help with it."

She was quiet as she watched him, wondering if it was some of his vampires who'd taken Hayley as well. But she saw no sign of the werewolf.

"See, just the other night a few of my guys who'd I'd put in charge of keeping an eye on you disappeared. Know anything about that?"

Mara's heart started to pick up speed in her chest, but her fear didn't show on her face as she asked, "Where's Hayley?"

A genuine look of confusion spread over his face as he asked, "Who the hell is Hayley?"

When Mara gave him the same confused expression back he guessed, "Oh you mean the werewolf I saw at the house? I don't have her… imagine my surprise though. This whole time I thought Klaus was staying at The Palace Royale Hotel… come to find out he's been lying to me. Then I find both a werewolf and a witch where he is staying."

"A witch?" Mara questioned, hoping he didn't have any definitive proof on the matter and she could possibly lie her way out of it. If she admitted she was a witch, he'd know she killed his vampires and would return the favor.

"You seem like a smart girl… don't lie to me." He said before he nodded to one of the other vampires in the room and Mara quickly flipped her head to the side to see what the other vampire was going to do, fearing the worst.

But to her surprise, he cut the ropes that were binding her to the chair. Knowing running would be pointless, she sat in place and rubbed her sore arms as she looked at Marcel wondering what game he was trying to play.

Kneeling down to where he was closer to her eye level, he said, "Look, I'm not a monster, okay? I'm willing to show you leniency here… but if that's going to happen you need to be honest with me. I've been asking around about you; you keep to yourself and it seems the only one you're seen around with is Klaus. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you didn't choose to work for him willingly, am I right?"

"Oh, Marcel… don't you know you shouldn't listen to rumors?"

Shaking his head back and forth he said, "You tell me what Klaus has you working on and I might just be willing to look past your breaking my rules about magic in the quarter."

"I'm not working for Klaus." She lied, "You're wasting your time here, I'm not a witch."

Standing up he blew out a sigh as he asked, "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

Mara didn't say anything, just looked around the room and wondered if or how she was getting out of this one but one thing she was pretty sure of was that Marcel hadn't taken Hayley. Whoever she'd seen putting her in the back of a car wasn't a vampire, or if he was –he wasn't one of Marcel's guys.

She knew Klaus would do everything he could to find Hayley and save her. But Mara was really wondering if he'd come looking for her or just cut his losses, the only one who she knew for sure would be looking for her once they knew she was gone would be Emmalin and she couldn't have that. Her sister would wind up getting herself killed and she wasn't going to let that happened.

Looking up she watched as Marcel turned around and threw the sharp broken piece of wood he'd been holding at her with lightning fast speed.

A noise between a gasp and a scream emitted from her mouth as she pinned her eyes shut, she could have used her magic to stop it but she knew one of the only things she still had on her side was that he had no proof she was a witch.

When nothing happened she opened her eyes to see he was standing beside her, holding the piece of wood in his hand not even an inch from her face –where he'd caught it after throwing it.

When he dropped the wood to the floor, her head dropped forward in relief as she tried to catch her breath.

"Hmm." He hummed, "I thought for sure you'd at least try to save yourself."

"I'm not a witch!" She shouted, anger coursing through her veins as she yelled and the already half busted window across the room shatter the rest of the way and blew glass across the room.

"So, I'm supposed to just believe that was the wind?"

Mara shook her head, knowing she'd screwed up but it was unintentional, she didn't have complete control over her abilities yet and in times of duress things would start happening around her that were out of her control.

Marcel tilted her head up and saw the drops of blood running from her nose and he knew what that meant, she was weak. Despite the outburst she wasn't a threat, which he knew bought him some more time to figure out what Klaus had been planning.

Roughly, she jerked her face out of his hand and used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe the blood away.

As he left the building, she overheard Marcel tell a few of his guys that they needed to watch her closely. Not harm her unless they had to. Looking over his shoulder at her as she stared back at him with fire in her eyes, he instructed them to wait until he got back.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin slowly opened her eyes, then snapped them back shut when the sun hit them, but as the night before came back to her, she began to smile. Not only did she and her sister finish a spell and actually save someone, but Kaleb also spent the whole night with her. They stayed up for hours just talking, then the last thing she remember was falling asleep in his arms.

She opened her eyes again, then frowned when she was met with an empty bed. She pushed herself up and glanced over at his side of the bed, seeing a note and a single red rose laying on the pillow. She smiled as she reached out to grab the note, seeing his handwriting. He mentioned going out to grab them some food, but he didn't want to wake her since she looked so peaceful.

She held on to the note with one hand, then reached out to grab the rose with the other one, bringing it up to her nose and giving it a sniff. She sat up, a huge grin on her face, then sat the note and rose aside on the bedside table before standing up from the bed.

She stretched her arms above her head, then walked over to the closet, grabbing a set of clean clothes. She wanted to get in a quick shower before Kaleb returned. Many minutes later, she was walking into the living room, when she heard a knock at the door.

Assuming it was Kaleb, a huge grin appeared on her face, as she made her way over to the door and swung it open, only to feel her face fall when she saw who was on the other side; it was Klaus.

"What uh, what are you doing here?" Emmalin asked nervously. She was never comfortable around him and having him in front of her while she was alone was even more nerve-wracking. All she could think about was she was at least grateful he couldn't enter. It was something they learned during one of their lessons; the do's and don't of vampires. The biggest don't- don't invite them in.

"Isn't it obvious?" Klaus stated, not in the mood for small talk. He needed to find the girls, the sooner the better. "I need you to work a little spell for me."

"No."

"No?" Klaus repeated, just as surprised as she was. Even if her voice was low and a little unsure, he was still shocked at the word. She never talked back to him before, hell, she hardly talked to him in general and mostly stood behind her sister.

"No." She said again, sounding more confident about her answer than she did before. When she saw him open his mouth to argue, she cut in, saying, "I'm not doing it." Before shutting the door in his face.

She rested her head against the door, blowing out a breath and trying to calm down her racing heart. She knew standing up to an original; an original hybrid, was not the best idea, but something needed to be done. She wasn't stupid, she saw the looks between him and Mara recently. She also didn't miss the closeness and how at ease her sister was around him. Mara would jump at the chance to do a spell for him, but that didn't mean she would. She just hoped he didn't snap her neck next time she walked out of the house.

With that thought in mind, she turned around and let out a small scream when she saw Klaus standing on the other side of the room. Apparently while she was turned around, he came in through the back door and was now in the same room with her.

"Wh-What... when... how?" She stuttered out. Trying to figure out how he was even in the house, then it dawned on her. Mara must have invited him in at some point.

"Are you going to kill me?" She whispered, as she took a step back, her back hitting the front door.

Klaus shot her a look at the question. He probably should, no one stood up to him and told him no, but he wasn't a complete monster and he needed her. There weren't many witches, actually none, that he could go to so she was greatly needed in this moment. Besides, he had a feeling one of the girls he needed to find would never forgive him if he harmed her sister.

"I could, but at the moment you are worth more to me alive than dead." Klaus stated, as he took a step closer to her and smirked when he heard her heart racing. He knew he probably shouldn't have scared her, but figured in a way it was her punishment for standing up to him before.

"It seems Hayley has been taken and I need you to find her." He added.

"How do you know she didn't just leave?" Emmalin questioned. "Now that the link is broken, maybe she left. Went somewhere safe."

"I know because she wasn't the only one taken." Klaus said, as he took another step toward her. "When I arrived home, I found this..." He began to say, as he held up a cell phone.

She lowered her eyebrows for a moment, confused on what he was trying to say, until she recognized the phone; it was her sister's. She felt like the breath had been knocked out of her, as she whispered out her sister's name.

"Now unless you think your sister and the little wolf would run off together, I suggest you get going on that spell fast." Klaus pointed out.

"Yeah, r-right." Emmalin breathed out, as she jumped to attention. She rushed over to the other side of the room, where a bookcase was and grabbed a few things, then went over to the coffee table, moving things aside and laid out a map.

She looked up at Klaus as she asked him if he had anything of Hayley's with him. When he shook his head, she told him she should still be able to track her sister. She reached out to grab her sister's grimoire, then sat it down on the table beside the map. She sat down on the floor on her knees, in front of the table, then laid a hand on it, hoping by using something personal of her sister's it would connect them.

With her other hand, she grabbed a clear jar of sand and poured some on the map. She sat the jar down, then looked down at the map, as she closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, before she whispered out, "Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem."

She opened her eyes and sighed when she realized nothing happened. The sand never moved, it was not showing her Mara's location. She closed her eyes, whispering the words a few more times, then tried not groan out in frustration when the spell wasn't working.

"What's the problem?" Klaus asked annoyed, seeing her close her eyes and whispering words again.

"It's-It's not working." Emmalin said, as she sat back on her heels and looked up at him. "I don't know why, but-but it's not. I don't think I am powerful enough."

"Then do what you have to to make it work." Klaus shouted, as he grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up to her feet. He didn't have time to mess with an incompetent witch. He needed to find Hayley and Mara as quickly as possible.

During his outburst, no one heard anyone enter the house, until Kaleb yelled out for him to let her go. When Klaus didn't release her arm, Kaleb held out a hand as he mumbled out a few words, causing Klaus to drop her arm and take a step back with a painful groan as he felt like a million daggers were piecing his heart at once.

The spell didn't last for long, but it was long enough to get him away from Emmalin, which was his initial plan. He dropped the bags of food he brought in, then stepped forward to stand in front of her, when Klaus let out an annoyed growl.

Kaleb wasn't sure if he could even take on an original, but he was up to the challenge if it kept her safe. He raised his hand, planning to do another spell, until Emmalin grabbed his other hand, pleading with him to stop.

He turned his head to look at her confused on why she stopped him. "It's okay." She quietly said with tears in her eyes. "He just needs me to do a spell, but I-I can't do it. I'm not powerful enough."

"Or perhaps you are holding back." Klaus accused, as he shot her a look.

"I'm not holding back!" Emmalin exclaimed. "I can't-I can't do it. At least not alone. I don't have enough solo magic, I guess, I don't know, but I can't do it. I need help!" She ran a hand through her hair, feeling panicked and scared. If she couldn't find her sister soon she was worried she would lose her.

For any kidnapping, the likelihood of finding the person was unlikely the longer they were missing. But in a situation like this, it was worse. Cause of what they were, she had a feeling that was why her sister was taken or maybe it had something to do with Klaus, some enemy of his, but either way it was probably something supernatural and dangerous.

She didn't know why she couldn't do the locator spell alone. The last time she tried to do one with Mara, it didn't work. Maybe that time had to do with her uncle or maybe they just couldn't do it, but this time wasn't turning out too well either. She didn't feel powerful enough, she needed her sister, their shared magic, but that was out of the question.

She turned her head, her eyes falling on Kaleb, as she blew out a breath. She hated what she was about to ask him, but she had no other choice. She had to find her sister and Hayley as well. The pregnant werewolf did not deserve this.

"Kaleb..." She breathed out. "I hate to ask this, I hate to involve you, but-but will you help me? Will you do the spell with me?"

"You know I would gladly help you with whatever, love." Kaleb began to say. He turned his head to look at Klaus, shooting him a look, as he added, "But not if it is for him. There are many witches around, go ask them and leave us be."

"Kaleb..." She pleaded, as she laid a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. When he turned his head to look at her, he saw a tear or two fall down her face, as she said, "I get it, I know you don't want to help him, but please. Hayley is missing and-"

"And why should I care?" Kaleb questioned. He turned his head to look at Klaus again, as he added, "Maybe she wised up and left, mate."

"I already explained earlier that she was taken." Klaus said back. "And she wasn't the only one. The fool who took her, also took-"

"Mara." Emmalin finished for him, her voice cracking as more tears fell down her face.

Hearing the pain in her voice, Kaleb snapped his head to the side to look at her, feeling his heart break for her. He knew how close the bond between the twins was and he knew how much it would kill her to lose her sister.

He let out a sigh, as he gave her a nod, then said, "Okay, I'll do it. We'll do this, but I'm doing this for you, pretty girl." He cut his eyes over at Klaus, as he added, "Not you."

Emmalin blew out a sigh of relief, then when Kaleb turned his head to look at her again, she gave him a small smile, as she mouthed the words, thank you, causing him to nod his head at her as he grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. He would do anything for her, even do a spell for someone he never thought he would. He would even work with the devil if it made her happy, and he couldn't help but think that is exactly what he agreed to.

••• ••• •••

"Miss me already?" Mara asked through gritted teeth as Marcel walked back into the building she was being held in.

"I've been learning a lot lately, about the Cromwell family name. Never heard that name 'round here much… but what I've been told they're a force to be reckoned with." Marcel explained, watching her reaction closely.

"Is that so?" Mara asked with a sigh as she leaned back in the chair she'd been sitting in for what felt like days.

"Mhmm." He hummed, before smugly adding, "Apparently they're best known for producing sets of twins, and those twins grow into some of the most powerful witches known."

Mara swallowed hard as Marcel continued, "That's right, I know about your sister and you know… I'd really hate for something to happen her. But witches and vampires always seem to be feuding in the quarter and in war there are always casualties."

Mara closed her eyes, biting down on the side of her cheek until she tasted blood and felt her skin swell against her teeth. He'd hit the weakest spot she had –her sister.

"Struck a nerve?"

Opening her eyes she leaned forward in the chair and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Now we're getting somewhere." He laughed as he grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her.

"Let's start with how you got mixed up with the original family."

Mara might have been the most loyal to her sister and she'd do anything to keep Emmalin safe, but there was now a part of her that was loyal to Klaus as well and she couldn't tell Marcel about Hayley and the baby.

"He needed a locator spell done to find his brother, after he daggered him and handed him over to you." Mara lied, bypassing the time she'd first saved Hayley –the time she believed had gotten herself on Klaus' radar, "And I think we both know Klaus doesn't like being told no. It was either my sister and I helped him or we were pretty much guaranteed to find out there are things worse than death."

He watched her closely, everything she was saying sounded believable.

Several questions later, Mara was tired of being the one with the spotlight on her and she asked, "It's not like my family was involved in the harvest or anything… so what do you want from me?"

"What do I want?" He asked in a tone like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world, "What I want is for things to go back to way they were in my city before Klaus showed up."

"Your city? That's funny because the way Klaus tells it… New Orleans is his city." Mara pushed, seeing she'd returned the favor from him and struck a nerve.

Marcel's jaw tensed in anger as he said, "He ran from this city… but I took it and I ran with it. Look around, vampires rule this city –we don't have to hide, no more living in the shadows. I got rid of the werewolves… I shut down the witches. I make the rules. Everything here is mine."

"Yeah… prince of the city and whatnot?" She questioned, rolling her eyes and showing how annoyed she was at the entire situation and at being held hostage.

"Prince, no… I'm the king!" He shouted, as he stood up and threw the chair he'd been sitting in across the room making her jump, as he continued, "This is all mine and no one is going to steal this city out from underneath me."

Pointing a finger at Mara he continued, "I'm betting Klaus is thinking about keeping a set of Cromwell twins in his pocket, thinking you're going to be some kind of secret weapon to be played at the right moment to tear everything down."

Before she was even fully aware of what was happening, he grabbed her out of the chair and slammed her against the wall where her shoulder collided violently with an old framed picture. She let out a pained cry when the glass broke and a large piece embedded in her shoulder.

Tears stung her eyes as she fearfully stared back at him, too scared to even fight against the vampire's hold on her while her feet dangled helplessly above the ground.

"I learned something else too, if I kill one twin the other one is powerless." He said, his breathing was still hard from the fit of anger and outburst he'd had. He knew deep down he owed everything he had to Klaus, but ever since he'd returned to New Orleans, Marcel's kingdom was crumbling down around him.

"You want to kill one of us, fine. Then kill me and leave Emmy alone… but if I'm going to die then I just want to ask you something first." She said, her voice choppy and terror ridden as she stared back at him with wide eyes.

Deciding to talk while she still could, Mara said, "Why do you get to decide who lives and who dies? You saved Davina… I'm only two years older than her. I was born into this Marcel… I didn't get a choice in what I am. You said earlier you're not a monster… but what do you think you're being right now? Terrorizing a teenage girl because someone decided to make me a pawn in some war that I don't have a damn thing to do with … sounds pretty monstrous to me."

She held her breath, trying to prepare herself for what might happen next. She knew she wasn't near as innocent as what she'd just made herself sound like, but she could play the helpless damsel card if she needed to.

Lowering her back down until her feet were safely on the floor, Marcel looked her over before turning and leaving the building without another word to her.

Looking to where his vampire guards were stationed by the door, Mara slid the rest of the way down the wall in a state of shock from what had just happened. Looking over to the glass sticking out of her shoulder, the tears she'd been fighting finally broke free and stained her cheeks with mascara.

Pulling her knees up to her chest she continued to cry, she wanted out of there and away from these vampires who were now looking at like she was dinner as blood continued to run from her wounded shoulder in dark streaks down her arm.

If she only had herself to think about, she'd have used her powers to fight her way out of there and made a run for safety. But for all she knew vampires could be watching her sister waiting on word to kill her and she had also been using her magic to cloak herself from locator spells so that her sister wouldn't run right into a trap trying to save her.

With a frustrated, agonized scream she threw her head back against the wall behind her and wondered if what was in store for her might really be worse than death itself.

••• ••• •••

Several minutes later, Kaleb and Emmalin sat across from each other in front of the coffee table. On the table was a new map and several lit candles around it. Since they didn't have anything personal of Hayley's they were going to try to connect with Mara again.

Emmalin explained to her boyfriend that she tried to use Mara's grimoire to connect to her, but it didn't work. He said he had an idea on something else that would work, causing her to ask him what. She was wiling to do anything to find them.

"It's not going to be pleasant." Kaleb warned.

"I don't care!" Emmalin said back, she just wanted to find her sister. "What do I have to do?"

Kaleb didn't say anything, as he pulled a pocket knife from the front pocket of his jeans. When he saw her eyes widen, he held out a hand, as he softly said,"Just trust me, love."

Emmalin swallowed hard, then nodded her head, as she held out her hand, placing it in his. He turned her hand over and pressed the knife against her hand, cutting into the palm of her hand. He heard her let out a little whimper of pain, which he hated. He hated having to hurt her, but they needed some of her blood. Since the two shared the same blood, it should be strong enough to connect them.

He held her hand over the map, causing drops of blood to fall on the map. He turned her hand over, then reached out to grab a wash cloth and tied it around her hand to stop the bleeding. He lifted her hand toward his mouth, kissing the back of it as he apologized for hurting her.

"It's okay." She whispered, hoping to ease his mind.

He held up his other hand, wanting her to place her uninjured hand against his. With their hands, palm to palm, he said, "Now repeat after me... Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras..." After she repeated the words, he added,"...Sequita Saguines..." When she said the words, he finished,"Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous."

The two repeated the phrase over and over again, causing the flames around them to raise. Emmalin gasped as she felt a surge of power going through her. It was stronger than when she tried solo magic, but not as strong as when she and Mara joined together. This magic felt different than with Mara though, with Kaleb it was like being enveloped in light. She felt safe, protected, warm and more importantly, she felt loved.

Feeling a little weak, she snapped her eyes shut, repeating the words again, and squeezing his hand. She never wanted to let go of him and lose that power. She was feeling drained, but also feeling like he was the only thing keeping her going. If she let go, she felt like she might fall over or pass out.

The two kept going for a few more minutes, until he finally pulled his hand away, seeing how weak she was looking. All the color was gone from her face and she was breathing heavily. It was all too much for her, and as much as he wanted to help her find Mara, he wasn't going to risk her hurting herself.

Once he pulled away, Emmalin felt the little bit of energy she had left being zapped away, causing her to slump forward on to the table, as she tried to catch her breath. She was barely aware of Klaus behind her, but it was hard not to hear him yell out, "Nothing happened!"

"Maybe if you weren't breathing down her neck, we'd have better results." Kaleb snapped back. Even if she wasn't always aware of where Klaus was, he never took his eyes off of him. He didn't like the original hybrid being so close to her.

"As you said before mate, there are many more witches, so I doubt anyone will miss one." Klaus threatened, as he stared down the other boy.

"Don't." Emmalin panted out, pleading with Klaus not to hurt him. "It's not his fault, it's mine. I'm trying, but I'm not-"

"Don't say it." Kaleb interrupted, as he looked over at her. "Don't say you're not powerful, love, cause you are." When she lowered her head, he told her to look at him. As her eyes caught his, he reached out to grab her hand, as he said, "You can do this, but you have to believe it. That power is right there inside of you. You just have to tap into it, okay?"

"Okay." She softly said, as she nodded her head. "Let's try it again."

Kaleb smiled when he saw the determined look on her face. He knew she could do this, he knew she was powerful enough, she just needed to believe in herself as much as he believed in her. He pushed the map aside and sat down a fresh one. When she held out her hand for him to get more blood, he shook his head, then turned to look at Klaus as he asked for his hand.

Klaus shook his head, as he said, "I don't give my blood out for just anyone, mate."

"You'll want to give it to me." Kaleb argued. "For whatever reason, we can't connect with Mara, but maybe we can with Hayley. Since she is carrying your child, that means you two have a blood connection right now. We could use your blood to connect with your child and Hayley."

Klaus shot him a look, as he began to say,"If this is somehow a trick to get my blood, I'll-"

"Do you want to find her or not?" Kaleb questioned, as he held out the knife.

Klaus blew out a breath at the question, then ignored the knife and bit into his wrist. He held it over the map, watching drops of his blood land on the map before his skin healed and the blood stopped flowing. He took a few steps back and watched as the two did like before, joined hands and began to chant.

After repeating the phrase several times, Emmalin felt her eyes widen as the blood finally began to move. She felt Kaleb pull on her hand to get her attention, causing her to raise her head to look at him, their eyes locking. He gave her a smile, knowing she could do this, as the two continued to say the words over and over.

She looked back down at the map, seeing a quick glimpse of Hayley ziptied to a fire stove inside a shack. She could tell the werewolf was scared for herself and her baby. She could feel the emotions off of her. She could hear her screaming at someone named Tyler, begging him not to do something, but before she could see what he was going to do, her vision cleared and she was back to looking at the map.

She opened her mouth to say the phrase again until she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain and jerk her hand away from Kaleb, breaking the connection. She laid her hand on her shoulder, as tears fell down her face.

"What's wrong?" Kaleb asked, as he scooted around the table to get to her. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him, as he asked her again what happened.

"My-My shoulder." Emmalin cried. "It's hurts! It feels like something is in it."

As Kaleb brushed her shirt from her shoulder to check her over, she shook her head, as she added, "It's not me. It's Mara." She turned her head to look at him, fresh tears in her eyes from the pain and from worrying about her sister, as she continued,"Something's wrong. Something happened to her. She's hurt!"

"We need to find her now." Klaus growled, getting the couple's attention. "Do it again!" He demanded.

"We don't have to." Kaleb spoke up. He kept one arm around Emmalin, as he pointed with his other hand toward the map. The blood was near the bayou, way deep in the bayou. "That is where they are."

Emmalin nodded her head, as she added, "I saw Hayley for a moment. She's tied up in a shack and some guy named Tyler was with her." When she saw the look on his face, she questioned, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

"Tyler Lockwood." Klaus mumbled angrily. "Back when I had the means to sire hybrids, he was my first. Although, I didn't give him much choice in the matter. He was loyal in the beginning, but he grew insubordinate, turned my other hybrids against me. I couldn't have that, so I massacred the lot of them. Tyler ran like a coward before I could finish him off."

"So he went after Hayley and my sister for revenge." Emmalin stated with an angry look on her face. She had a feeling this was all his fault somehow and now she knew it was.

"What else did you do to him?" Kaleb questioned, feeling like there was more to the story.

"Well there is the business with his mum." Klaus said with a sinister smile.

"You killed her?" Emmalin asked with a surprised look on her face. Although she shouldn't have been. She should have known he would do something that evil.

She stood up, swaying a little until Kaleb jumped up to catch her. He kept an arm around her, as she set her sights on Klaus and said, "If something happens to my sister because of you, I swear I will make you pay. I will tap into any and every power I have to to take you down."

Within seconds, Klaus rushed across the room to stand in front of her, not giving Kaleb enough time to step in front to protect her, but he didn't have to. Klaus wasn't planning on hurting her, instead he did something that surprised her.

The look on his face softened, as he promised, "I will bring her home."

Without another word, he fled the house, calling his brother to meet him in the bayou to save the girls with murder on his mind. No one messed with what was his without consequences.

••• ••• •••

**A/N- Thank you so much reading.**

**I wanted to take a moment and thank all of you guys for the support you've shown, I owe such a big thank you to everyone who has added this story to your favorites and/or subscribed for alerts. It really means so much!**

**As always you can find the link to my Tumblr on my profile here. (I've been posting quite a few gif sets and other story related edits!) **

**Speaking of thank yous... just wanted to give a shout out to graprejuice101, NicoleR85, xxxRena, Guest, max 2112, Land of a billion lights, Guest, BeaAdriana, and Guest for reviewing since the last update. (:**


	13. Bloodletting – Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 13 – Bloodletting – Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Mara stared at herself in the mirror of the bathroom on the second story of the building she was being kept in.

They'd brought her food earlier but she'd angrily threw back at the vampire and screamed that she didn't want a damn thing from them. But finally it had gotten to the point that she was either going to find a corner of the room to pee in or let them escort her to the bathroom.

Of course, it was a small bathroom with no windows and no other means of escape.

The face in the mirror's didn't even look like her. Her cheeks were stained from mascara and blood was smeared on her neck and side of her face on the side where the glass was still in her shoulder.

Grabbing some paper towel she put it in her other hand to protect her palm as she tried to grab onto the glass to pull it from her skin, but stopped when she remembered seeing something on tv once about leaving the object in a wound to cut back on the bleeding. Plus every time she started to pull on it she about threw up from the pain and the way it looked in the mirror.

But she was already in constant pain from the glass being lodged in her skin. She'd never cried easily, but everything about the situation she was in made her want to just lay down on the floor and cry her eyes out. The pain; the fear –it was all too much and she wasn't sure if or when it would be over. At the moment she felt like there was no end in sight.

Throughout the day there had been a few times she'd felt desperate enough to uncloak her location and reach out to her sister for help, but she didn't. No matter how bad things got for her she wasn't going to involve Emmalin.

Trying to move her injured arm as little as possible she washed off what blood she could, and dried off before knowing it was time to be taken back to the room she'd been in all day. Walking over to the trashcan, she dropped the paper towels in but paused when she heard Marcel's voice.

"You want to make a deal with me, you've got to offer me something."

Her eyes darted up to a vent near the decorative molding at the top of the wall. Looking back to the closed door to make sure no one was coming in there after her, she removed the bag from the metal trashcan and sat it to the side before turning the trashcan over and climbing up on it, as quietly as possible, to get closer to the vent.

"There's a werewolf-" a voice she didn't recognize started to say but Marcel cut him off, "I already know about Hayley, the werewolf girl. What else you got?"

"What if I told you that –that werewolf girl was carrying Klaus' child?"

Mara cupped a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping. This was bad, this was very bad for so many different reasons, not only did it endanger Hayley and the baby more so than they already were, but now Mara was worried about the repercussions from not being a hundred percent honest with Marcel.

"What if I told you that if that baby is born, it will be the end of the vampire species?"

Mara listened with wide eyes as the voice she was unfamiliar with went on to say that the baby's blood was capable of making new hybrids, and a single bite from a hybrid could kill a vampire.

"What are you doing in there? Come on!" One of Marcel's guards said as he knocked on the door so loud she thought it might break free from its hinges.

Jumping off the trashcan she turned it back up, put the bag back and made her way out of the bathroom where she was led down a dark hall and a back stairwell back to her original prison room.

Once there, she walked around the room, until she found another vent like the one that had carried the voices upstairs. Sitting down near it, she listened as she could hear Marcel saying, "Alright, I'll keep this simple. This kid here, is an old enemy of your favorite person, Klaus. Now, he's got plenty to say about what that traitorous son of a bitch has been up to behind my back. For those of you faint of heart –there's the door, because those who stick around are signing up for battle."

She had no idea how many people were in the room with Marcel, but from what she could make out she didn't hear any footsteps of people leaving.

"Time to go."

"What? Go, where?" Mara cried as she was roughly jerked to her feet.

"We have orders to move you outside of the quarter." Was the only answer she got from the vampire who bound her wrists tightly with rope, seconds later duct tape was over her mouth while she flailed and kicked the best she could as one of them tossed her easily over their shoulder but she couldn't break free.

••• ••• •••

After Klaus left, Emmalin was too nervous to sit still. She tried to pace across the floor, but was too drained to do so and kept stumbling. Kaleb pleaded with her to lay down, to rest until her sister returned. She finally agreed to lay down on the couch but when she got upset thinking she would never see Mara again he sat down beside her brushing her hair from her face as he promised her everything would be okay.

"Something is wrong, Kaleb, I can feel it." Emmalin said, as she shook her head. "I could feel Hayley, so strongly, but I couldn't feel Mara. What if that means she's-"

"She's not." Kaleb interrupted, knowing she was worried that her sister was dead.

"Then why couldn't I feel her there! I could feel Hayley, but not Mara!" She cried out.

"You could feel Hayley cause the connection was with her. That is why it was so strong." Kaleb explained. "Besides if she was dead, you would feel that, right? Plus you would lose your magic, right?"

Emmalin nodded her head, realizing he was right, but she was still worried why she couldn't connect with her sister. "Well maybe she is knocked out or something?" She guessed. "I know she is hurt cause I can feel it. My shoulder is killing me. She's hurt, Kaleb!"

"I know." He softly said. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, hoping to help calm her. He felt her grip his shirt and kept him close to her. He rested his forehead against hers, as he said, "But she is strong, remember? You Cromwells are quite powerful. She'll be okay. She's coming back."

Emmalin didn't know how long they laid their together, she was still incredibly worried about her sister, but having Kaleb close was helping. He had a way of calming her, which was exactly what she needed right now.

When she heard her cell phone go off some time later, she jumped up, feeling the room spin. Then lean forward to grab it from the coffee table. She never thought she would be so happy to have Klaus call her before, but she was relieved that he was. She needed to know he found Mara and she was okay, but instead, his words made her heart sink.

"She's not here. Do another spell!" He barked.

"Wh-What?" She breathed out, as tears filled her eyes. "What do you mean she's not there? I thought Tyler had them in the bayou!"

"He had Hayley, but he didn't have Mara." Klaus explained.

"Oh, my God." Emmalin mumbled, as she placed a hand over her mouth, her tears raining down her face.

Seeing that she was upset, Kaleb took the phone from her hand and put it on speaker. "Did you look everywhere?" He questioned Klaus.

"I search every inch of this horrid place." Klaus answered. "Besides her scent is nowhere around. She's not here."

"We'll do a spell." Emmalin stated, as she tried to stand up from the couch, but was still too weak to stand. Instead she slid down to the floor in front of the coffee table.

"I don't think that is a good idea." Kaleb said. "You're still weak from the last spell. You should rest."

"I can't!" Emmalin called out. "Not until I find her!" When she saw the look on his face, she felt guilty for snapping at him. She reached out to grab his hand, as she added,"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for that, but I have to find her, Kaleb. Please... Please help me."

"Okay." Kaleb said with a sigh. He hated telling her no, and deep down he wanted to find Mara too, he knew how important she was to his girlfriend. Besides he liked Mara, she was someone who could become a good friend and he had a feeling if the roles were reversed she would help anyway she could.

"Okay." He repeated. "The blood connection didn't work and neither did using her grimoire, but is there anything else of hers that we can use? Something personal, if it is connected to her magic, that's even better."

"Other than her grimoire, I don't think..." Emmalin began to say, until something hit her. "Actually I think I do know something."

"Well out with it." Klaus said with an annoyed tone.

Emmalin pointed out toward the bookcase, asking Kaleb to grab the box on top. He went across the room, grabbing the small decorative box, then carried it back over to her. She sat it down on the table, then took the top off, digging around inside, before she pulled out a necklace. The charm was in a triangle shape, with a dark color stone in the middle, with different symbols around it.

"Our parents gave us each a necklace, along with our individual grimoires, when they told us what we really were." Emmalin began to say, as she turned the charm over, seeing the words on the back,'_To see in the dark_'. She ran her fingers over the words, then dug around to pull out her necklace.

Hers was circular with a white stone in the middle and on the back it had the words,'_To help with the light_'. She handed both of them to Kaleb, as she asked if those could help locate her sister.

"They should." He answered. He handed the necklaces back to her, as he questioned, "Do you know what those are?" When she shook her head, he said, "They are your talisman. Anytime you need a little extra power or need help channeling your magic, that helps."

"Oh." Emmalin mouthed, as she looked down at the necklaces in her hands. "So this can work?" She asked, as she looked up at him with a hopeful look on her face.

"This can work." Kaleb said with a smile. He told her to hold each necklace in her hands, then snapped his fingers to cause the candles in front of them light up. He reached out to lay his hands on top of hers, forcing her to ball them in a fist around the talisman.

He kept his hands balled around her, as he said, "Repeat after me; Vitto Brosche Tarem Car Manifesto Fen."

Emmalin kept her eyes on him, as she said the words back. When she said the last word, she gasp as a surge of power, similar to what she felt anytime hers and Mara's magic linked up, only this time it was like she was taking in all the light and dark magic at once.

She lowered her head, crying out in pain, as she felt like her head was splitting in two. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to continue the chant, but was in too much pain that her words trailed off. She saw quick flashes of her sister; seeing everything that had happened to her since she was taken, but it was choppy and in pieces.

"I see her." Emmalin breathed out. Then as quick as the pictures appeared, they went away, like she was blocked or even kicked out of her sister's mind.

She gasped, as she lifted her head, seeing Kaleb's concerned eyes staring at her. "I saw her for a minute, then it was over."

"She has herself cloaked." Kaleb said, finally understanding why they were having such a hard time finding her. She didn't want to be found. "She must have lowered it for a moment, then lifted it again, that is what blocked you."

"I can do it again." Emmalin said, swaying a little.

"I don't think you should-" Kaleb tried to argue, as Klaus yelled out for her to do the spell again.

Kaleb opened his mouth to tell her she needed to rest, at least for a few minutes, before doing it again, but before he could say a word, she began to chant the words he told her earlier, not even waiting for him to join their hands, she was doing the spell alone.

He watched as her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her body began to shake, as she yelled out the words over and over again, trying to connect with her sister again. When he saw blood pouring out of her nose, he scooted over toward her, sitting beside her, as he called out her name.

"Emmy! Emmalin, you have to stop!" He yelled out.

"I'm close." She whimpered out. "I'm close to finding her. I can feel it."

With her breathing labored, she mouthed the words over and over, ignoring the blood running down her face. She saw a quick flash here and there, like a static television trying to pick up a picture, but before she could see anything clearly, she would lose it.

"Come on, Mara." She whispered. "Show me. Please show me where you are."

"Emmalin, stop it!" Kaleb pleaded, as he saw more blood coming from her nose. "You're taking on too much alone." He tried to grab her hands, but she jerked away from him, screaming out the chant.

As he called out her name again, he heard Klaus yelling over the phone, telling her to keep going and demand she tell him where Mara is. Kaleb argued with him, telling him this wasn't good for her, but no one would listen to him.

Emmalin spoke the words again, then saw a flash of her sister being led through the woods to an old house. She could hear the conversation between them, but the words were broken up. She did make out her sister asking where they were taking her. Then she heard the man leading her say he was taking her where Marcel said.

She gasped as she snapped her eyes open and dropped the talisman like they burned her hands. She scrambled to pick up the phone, as she called out, "I saw her! They-They're taking her to a house. In the middle of nowhere, Marcel-"

"I heard it all. I'm already on my way." Klaus said, already knowing where the place was. Since arriving in town he made it his business to know every place Marcel owned, he just couldn't believe he would be the one to take her. He never thought Marcel was that stupid to do something like that.

"Oh." Emmalin breathed out, not realized she was speaking out loud when she saw the vision. She gripped the phone in her hand, as she quietly said, "Klaus-"

"I'll keep my word." He interrupted, referring to earlier when he said he would bring Mara home. Without another word, he ended the call.

Emmalin glanced down at the phone, then turned her head to the side, seeing Kaleb sitting back down beside her. While she talked to Klaus he got up to wet a wash cloth.

He was silent as he began to clean the blood from her face. She could tell by the look on his face that he was not happy with her at the moment. She reached up to lay a hand on the side of his face.

When his eyes flickered over to hers she whispered out, "I'm sorry."

"I know you were desperate to find your sister..." He began to say, "But that was quite dangerous. You were taking on too much power at once, love."

"You always say I'm powerful." She pointed out.

"You are, but you are not ready for that. Especially not alone." He laid his hands on either side of her neck, forcing her to look at him, as he added, "Promise me, you'll never do that again. Promise that you'll never do something that dangerous again. Whatever is going on, we'll work it out, but I can't lose you."

"I promise." She whispered, before leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. "You won't lose me, Kaleb."

He kept his forehead against hers for a moment, then pulled back to kiss her forehead. "Will you rest now? Before she gets home. You need to rest, to recharge."

She nodded her head, then held out her hands for him to help her up from the floor. She laid out on the couch, then reached out for him, wanting him to lay with her. She knew they needed to clean up and put everything away, but right now she just wanted to lay with him. The cleaning could come later, right now all she wanted was him.

••• ••• •••

Mara looked around the inside of the old house she'd been taken too. From what she could tell on her way from the car to the door, it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Once the tape was gone from her mouth, she'd asked the vampires several times what was being planned for her, why she was being held there but they didn't answer her.

Since she heard Marcel and the unnamed accomplice talking about going to war with Klaus, it sounded like they were plotting his downfall and she wondered if she was going to be held there until it was over.

Her forehead lined with concern as she wondered if there was somehow a way they could kill Klaus or do great harm to him in someway.

She thought back to the first day she'd met him at Rousseau's, and how he'd told her he was there because people were conspiring against him. At the time, she had no idea what he was and thought he might be paranoid, crazy or both but in the time she'd known him –it seemed there was plot after plot to take him down in one way or another.

Opening her mouth to ask again how long she was going to be held there, she stopped when there was a noise outside that didn't go unnoticed by the guards either.

One of them nodded to the other to go outside and see what or who was out there.

Mara's eyes scanned the room, trying to plot an escape route realizing it might be now or never.

Using her powers, she broke the ropes binding her arms and grabbed a bottle of water from the bag with food they'd brought for her. Just as the other vampire guard turned around to face her she splashed the water on him, as he lunged for her she held out her hand and said, "Incendia!"

The water burst into flames and he fell to the ground screaming in pain as he tried desperately to put the fire out. Mara took the opportunity to make a break for it before the other vampire returned.

As she ran through the backdoor of the house, she tripped on the broken cement stairs leading to the door and landed to the ground with a thud, every time she tried to get up her right injured shoulder would hurt her so bad it made her entire arm weak.

Knowing she wasn't going to be able to move with the glass still lodged in her skin and digging deeper every time she tried to move, she reached over and in one quick movement pulled the glass out, dropping it to the ground. New blood started to run from the opening but she couldn't focus on that, she had to get out of there before the other guard came back.

Her feet thudded against the ground as she raced deep into the woods surrounding the house, it wasn't the smartest idea but she had nowhere else to run. Even if she didn't find help that night, maybe she could wait until she was rested up enough to fight off the other vampire or even finally lift the cloaking spell when the sun came up so her sister could find her. Maybe with the both of them and daylight on their side they could get to safety.

But the more she ran, the weaker she got until she finally dropped to the ground and scooted her back up against a large tree trunk. Her breath rushed in and out her lungs so fast she didn't even think she was benefiting from the oxygen at all.

She clutched onto her injured shoulder and did everything she could to not cry out from the pain when she heard footsteps in the near distance, she knew she needed to remain as quiet as possible. Though it seemed hopeless all together; if it was a vampire after her they would clearly find her from all the blood she was losing.

When the footsteps got closer, tears ran down her cheeks and she pulled in a deep breath. She wasn't going to be held prisoner for another second, so when the vampire found her she'd fight to the death before she surrendered and went back into that house.

Seeing a broken tree branch not far away from her on the ground, she decided it would have to be a makeshift stake. Using what felt like the last of her strength to scramble to her feet, she held out her good hand and the branch flew into her grip. Clutching it tightly she jumped out from her hiding spot intending to stake whoever was approaching her, but to her surprise there was no one there.

"You don't need that, love."

The branch fell from her hand and she closed her eyes either in relief or to hold back the new set of tears that had welled up in them. It was Klaus, and with the sound of his voice came a feeling she never thought she'd felt before –she felt safe.

Slowly she turned around to face him, her mouth hung slightly open with her eyebrows knotted in a mix of emotions.

Silently, he stepped forward and pulled her trembling body against him, holding her tight as he was trying to reassure her that she was completely safe now, that the nightmare was over.

With her good arm she hugged tightly onto him, her fingers securely gripping onto the fabric of his jacket until her knuckles were ghostly white –as if she were afraid if she let go it would end up just being a hallucination and she'd be alone again.

In that moment she realized she'd never felt safer than she did wrapped in his arms. The original hybrid; someone who's very name struck fear into everyone who'd heard of him –and he was her comfort.

When she didn't let go of him, he had to pry her fingers from his jacket to take a step and look her over. She was a mess, her shirt was soaked in her own blood. Her face streaked with black mascara and crimson, leaves and sticks protruding from her disheveled hair. She was a complete disaster but she was alive –a fact he'd been unsure of all day when Emmalin couldn't easily locate her with a spell.

"It's okay." He assured her, seeing she was still shaking, "You're safe, Mara." He took her unnaturally pale face in his hands to get a better look at her.

Reaching up with her own hands she rested them on his hands as she slowly nodded and managed to say, "I know."

The scent of her blood was strong in the air and his eyes moved from her face down to her bleeding shoulder. Mara tilted her head away, her eyes fluttering closed as he gently moved the straps of her tank-top and bra out of the way to see how bad the injury was.

She'd been warned about him from her uncle, even before she'd known who he was in person, told on so many occasions that he was dangerous, evil…possibly the most lethal being to have ever walked the earth. Yet, here he was coming to her rescue, being kind and gentle. The same hands that killed possibly millions over the course of his life, were now the source of the most tender, loving touch she'd ever felt.

"There was a piece of glass… it got to where I couldn't even move my arm, so I pulled it out." She admitted looking down to the sliced open palm of her hand that she hadn't even noticed was injured in the process.

His eyes met with hers and he knew she'd been through hell that day, probably the single most traumatic thing she'd gone through –even trumping the death of her parents.

"The glass cut really deep, this is bad Mara." He said, but the only reaction the statement earned was a small nod from her.

His forehead lined with concern, she'd lost a lot of blood and he considered she might be in shock from that along with everything else she'd gone through.

"Do you understand?" He questioned, his hand back on the side of her face adding even more blood to contrast her sickly, pale skin.

She blinked rapidly trying to clear her slightly cloudy vision, as she started to feel dizzy when the adrenaline wore off.

"Mara?"

Jumping as his voice roared through the otherwise quiet wooded area, she looked at him and nodded, "I… I understand."

Pushing his sleeve out of the way, she watched as the skin around his eyes changed and his vampire fangs showed just before he bit into his wrist and held it out for her. She'd been against taking his blood to heal before but that was from just a small flesh wound. This could very well be life and death, seeing as how they weren't exactly near any hospitals.

He saw all the blood loss and trauma she'd been through hadn't put a damper on her stubbornness, when she stepped back from his bleeding wrist and shook her head back and forth.

"It wasn't an offer, love." He was going to make sure she was healed up whether she willingly accepted his help or not.

"What-" She started to ask, but the word was muffled against his skin as he grabbed her, and held her against him with one hand and put his bleeding wrist to her open mouth, giving her no other choice but to swallow down the blood that quickly filled her mouth.

When he finally let go of her, she stepped back and stared at him –her eyes narrowed as a trail of his blood ran from the corner of her mouth and dripped down onto her already stained shirt.

Pulling her eyes from him she looked down to the palm of her hand to see the cut was entirely healed up, looking over to her shoulder she saw that wound was healed too and thankfully the throbbing pain had slowed and finally ceased.

Stepping back up to him, she opened her mouth to say that while she appreciated the help and was now thankful the ordeal was over she didn't like being forced into doing anything –like being forced to drink vampire blood for example.

But she never got the chance, when one of his arms curled around her and pulled her against him and she was barely aware of what was happening until his mouth was on hers and she immediately melted into the moment with him. Her hands had landed against his chest in surprise from the sudden movement and now her fingers gripped onto his shirt pulling him even closer before she slid them around to the back of his neck and leaned up to deepen the kiss.

It had gotten to where being around him made her feel like she was fully alive in ways she'd never felt before, but it was nothing compared the feelings running through her with his mouth on hers and his hands moving over her clothed body, keeping her close to him. Making her feel like every cell of her body had been brought to life and completely secure all at once.

She'd spent so long trying to deny how she felt towards him and she didn't want to deny it anymore. She'd almost died that day and the thought of leaving this earth and never having felt the way she now felt in that moment with him was unbearable.

His fingers tangled in her hair, adding more blood to her brunette locks with them but she didn't care as she pressed her body firmly against his.

His day hadn't been much better than hers –after having Emmalin and Kaleb do a spell, he thought for sure he was going to save both Hayley and Mara but when he'd gotten to the bayou he'd learned only Hayley was being held there by a bitter, revenge seeking Tyler Lockwood hungry for retribution for his mother's death.

And while Klaus' created hybrid hadn't succeeded in seriously harming Hayley or their still growing child, he had managed to turn both Hayley and Elijah against him by showing the baby's blood was capable of turning werewolves into hybrids –both of them were so quick to assume that was his reason for embracing the idea of fatherhood.

In return he'd bitten his brother and left them both out in the bayou while he continued on his search to find Mara. The one person he saw as loyal to him now. He was so used to everyone always looking at him like he's a monster and they're just waiting for his next heinous act that it still surprised him every time he looked into Mara's eyes and that look wasn't there.

Being around her brought out the most human parts of him and today when Emmalin at first hadn't been able to locate Mara –he'd already started to feel her loss and it was one of the worst things he'd felt in a long time. Something he never wanted to feel again.

Mara leaned her head back, a breathless moan sliding from between her lips when she felt his mouth move down the side of her neck and moved over to where the fresh blood from her newly healed wound was. She was aware she should be repulsed by everything that was happening, she could still taste his blood on her tongue and the hungered movements of his mouth against her. Instead she found herself completely focused and her stomach jumping with excitement when his tongue ran over the location of where the glass had been lodged in her shoulder. At one point she felt his teeth graze over her skin and she clutched onto him as the sensation brought goosebumps to the surface of her skin.

For a moment she thought he was going to bite her but she wasn't scared, despite her tendency to not trust anyone –she trusted him, probably more than she should. No, it wasn't the thought of him biting her that scared her, what scared her was the part of her that almost wanted him to bite her.

His breathing was as rough as hers when he raised his head and rested his forehead against hers, where they stayed until she leaned back and could see her blood staining his lips and the skin around them. There was an insatiable look in his eyes as he ran his thumb over her bottom lip, staining it with his own blood that had collected in the corner of her mouth.

She was aware of that fact he was smearing blood across her lips but she didn't care which she made clear when she raised up, pressing her own eager lips to his mouth and wrapped her arms back around to the back of his head and neck feeling like there was no way she could ever be close enough to him.

Everything she'd thought she'd known had been completely turned on its head. She could taste both of their blood on her tongue from the heated kiss and while logically she knew that should have been revolting to, it wasn't. The crimson coated kiss was the single most intimate thing she'd ever experienced in her entire life.

Nothing in her world seemed to make sense anymore. The only thing Mara was entirely sure of was that she wanted to stay in the moment with him forever. She never wanted to lose that feeling –she didn't want to live without him in her life for a single day and needing someone like that was more terrifying than being kidnapped and held hostage by vampires.

••• ••• •••

**A/N- Thank you all for reading. :)**

**I owe a huge thank you to grapejuice101, NicoleR85, guest and xxxRena for being kind enough to review the last chapter.**

**Don't forget to leave a review and let me know if you're reading the story! It only takes you a few moments but it means the world and keeps me inspired! (:**


	14. The River in Reverse – Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 14 – The River in Reverse – Part 1**

••• ••• •••

As Klaus pulled to a stop outside of the house Mara shared with her twin sister, Emmalin, he looked over to Mara as he said, "I have something that belongs to you."

She took her seat-belt off and looked over at him in question.

Pulling her cell phone from his pocket he handed it to her and she let out a small sigh as she rubbed her thumb over the cracks spanning the screen as she thought of how Marcel now owed her a new cell phone.

He watched her silently for a moment before saying, "When I found it outside near the road, the screen was still on… open to my number."

"Yeah." She remembered blowing out a heavy breath, "I was trying to call you about Hayley being taken and then everything just went black… woke up with a cloth bag over my head in the back of a moving car."

"Mara." He said, getting her to look over at him as he shut the car off and turned slightly to face her to make sure she understood how serious he was when he said, "If I'd known where you were being held, I'd have gotten to you as soon as I could."

Nodding she agreed, "Yeah, I uh, I kind of know that now."

"Only now?" He questioned.

"I cloaked my location so Emmy couldn't find me, I was afraid she'd walk into a trap trying to save me and end up getting hurt or worse." Mara explained, swallowing hard as she admitted, "There were a few times when I was so scared and in so much pain that I almost lifted the spell to let her find me but I'd think it over and decide against it, but then I had this moment where I thought if Emmy didn't find me that no one else would."

His eyebrows raised in surprise as he asked, "You didn't think I was trying to find you?"

"I knew that Hayley was taken by someone else and that all the focus would be on her and the baby and…" Her voice trailed off.

"And what?" He pushed.

"And… I sort of thought that after you found Hayley and she was safe that you'd cut your losses when it came to me. You know, I'd end up being more trouble than I'm worth."

The words stung her tongue as she spoke them. Words that she'd heard from her dad on several occasions over the years when she'd manage to mess things up, was mean to Emmalin or got into trouble.

Swallowing hard she closed her eyes and she could still see her dad standing with his arms folded across his chest, slowly shaking his head back and forth and letting out a sigh as he'd said, _"Mara, I don't know what to do with you… more trouble than you're worth."_

She knew he didn't actually believe that, or at least she hoped he didn't actually think that lowly of her but neither of her parents had ever said that or anything like it to her sister.

When she didn't look over at him, he reached over and took her chin in his hand as he made her face him and quietly said, "You are worth everything, Mara. Don't ever forget that."

Her heart skipped a few beats in her chest with the way he was looking at her, like she was the only thing on earth that mattered to him in that moment in time. No one had ever looked at her like before.

If anyone else had said that to her, she'd have probably rolled her eyes at them but she was pretty sure he actually meant it. When he brought his face to hers, she leaned over the console farther to deepen the kiss. She knew it was wrong, being not only what he was but all of the bad, monstrous things he was known for –she considered maybe Rebekah was right that she should have grabbed Emmalin and fled town.

Only now, it seemed like both sisters were finding reasons to hang around the big easy; either way she selfishly was glad they'd stayed.

As she got out of the car and started for the door, she turned around when she heard his door shut too.

"What are you doing? She questioned.

"The last time I let you out of my sight you got yourself kidnapped." He reminded her and she shook her head, but didn't protest as he walked her up to the door.

After they'd left the woods, she'd told him she couldn't go home until she was cleaned up. Her sister couldn't see her in the state she was in with a blood soaked shirt. So they'd made a relatively quick stop by the plantation house so she could shower and he offered her one of his shirts after, she accepted it.

Looking down to the dark shirt she was wearing, she looked back at him and questioned, "What happens to Marcel now?"

"I'll deal with Marcellus." He asserted before adding, "After all… he took something of mine."

Her eyebrows lowered some as she repeated back, "Yours?"

"Mine." He said with a nod, and a smirk toying at the corner of his mouth like he was trying to bait her to argue with him. And if her sister wasn't right on the other side of the door needing to see her as much as needed to see Emmalin too, she probably would have taken the bait.

"I gotta get inside." She nodded to the door as she spoke, "You should probably get out of here, Emmy's had a rough day and seeing you won't exactly help calm her down."

"You were abducted and held against your will… yet your sister had a taxing day?" He questioned a slightly look of astonishment in his eyes.

Stepping closer she raised up and kissed him once more, needing to lock the feeling to her memory and feel the safety of his arms wrapped around her once more to help her get through the night.

"See you tomorrow, love." He quietly said with his face mere inches from her when the kiss was broken.

It wasn't until he'd take a few steps away that it registered what he'd said and she asked, "Why? What's tomorrow?"

"We're writing my memoirs, remember?"

"Klaus!" she exclaimed with raised eyebrows, "You realize I almost died today, right?"

Giving her a smile he pointed out, "My memoir won't write itself, Mara."

She shook her head and tried to act like she wasn't looking forward to spending more time with him, but then something happened. For the first time all day a smile spread over her own lips and the conversation even earned a small laugh on her part.

Turning back around she opened the door and walked inside where she saw Kaleb moving candles and other various objects they'd been using to work spells all day from the table and Emmalin's voice soared through the house as she called out, "Is that her?"

But before Kaleb or Mara either one could answer, Emmalin ran into the room and came to a stop just in front of her sister with tears starting to run down her face. Once Klaus had found her, Mara called her to let her know she was okay and would be home as soon as possible. But it wasn't until she had her sister right infront of her eyes that she could finally breathe and knew her twin was safe.

Without wasting another second she flung herself forward and wrapped her in such a tight hug Mara struggled to catch her breath, but she didn't mind as she clutched onto her equally as tight with tears running down her own cheeks.

There had been so many times through the day that both sisters were terrified and plagued with thoughts that they may never see the other one again. Growing up, Mara had always watched out for Emmalin but being as different as they were they weren't ever as close as they had been since they lost their parents.

After being through so much, the thought of losing the other was crippling.

"Are you okay?" Emmalin asked, her voice hoarse and broken through tears.

"I'm fine, Emmy. I'm home, I'm with you… I'm fine." Mara replied, as she stepped back from the hug and swatted at her tears.

"I worked so hard all day trying to find you but you we're cloaking yourself." Emmalin cried wiping her own tears as she asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Because I knew you'd come looking for me and I couldn't risk you getting hurt, Em." She admitted with an apologetic look on her face.

"Yeah, but, Mar-"

She started to say, her voice abruptly cutting off when she realized the shirt her sister was wearing not only wasn't the one she'd last seen her in, it was a men's shirt and too big for her.

Her brown eyes shot up to where the tips of Mara's hair was still wet from her shower and Emmalin asked with a hurt look, "You showered? Why wouldn't you come straight home? I've been freaking out!"

"I couldn't come straight home-" Mara tried to explain, but Emmalin was too upset to listen as she pointed out again how scared she'd been.

"Emmy." Kaleb said as he stepped up beside her, not wanting to get in the middle of what was happening but he immediately understood what had happened. Reaching down and taking one of her hands in his own to calm her, he said, "I think your sister was just trying to spare you of seeing her in the state she was in."

Mara nodded and Emmalin reached up holding onto her own shoulder that she'd been having sharp pains in as more tears welled up in her eyes and she asked, "How bad were you hurt, Mar?"

"Bad enough that I didn't want you seeing me like that, but it's okay. It's all over now. I'm okay." Mara said stepping closer as she repeated, "We're okay."

Emmalin nodded, knowing her sister was only trying to protect her from the reality of what she'd been through but it still hurt and even thought they were safe for the night, she was starting to feel like tomorrow was always going to hold some new threat.

"Are you okay now? Do we need to get you to the hospital?" She gasped, still holding onto her own shoulder so clearly remembering the terrible pain she'd been in and could only imagine what could have caused it.

Seeing her sisters breathing was labored and she was still almost frantic from everything, Mara pulled her in for a hug as she looked to Kaleb and said, "I think she'd feel better if you stayed with her tonight."

Kaleb gave a small smile and a nod in agreement, he'd wanted to stay with her anyways but wasn't sure if once Mara got home they'd want to be alone for the night. But he remembered how Emmalin told him her sister liked being alone and he could see that's what she needed was to be on her own right now. Emmalin, however, needed someone to stay with her after everything –she needed him and he was going to be there for her.

"Are you sure-" Emmalin started to ask as she stepped back from the sisterly embrace.

"Emmy, don't make me say 'I'm fine' for the hundredth time since I got home."

The comment earned a weak smile from her sister. She did feel completely exhausted from the day so she didn't argue with Kaleb when he wrapped an arm around her, pressed a kiss to the side of her head and softly said, "Come on pretty girl, let's get you to bed."

"Kaleb!" Mara called, stopping him in the doorway, she added, "Thank you."

"I'm glad you're safe." He nodded with a friendly smile, knowing she wasn't just talking about taking care of Emmalin now, she meant for helping her sister help Klaus find her.

A smile spread over her lips as she saw him being so gentle and caring to Emmalin, she was happy for her sister and knew Kaleb was exactly the kind of guy she needed around.

Then her mind drifted back to Klaus –she couldn't deny there was something between then anymore and she didn't want to.

Once they were out of sight she pulled her shirt away from her shoulder, trailing a finger over where she'd been hurt. There was no sign of it ever being there, like it never happened. Only she knew it had happened and a part of her wasn't sure she'd ever feel the same as before.

••• ••• •••

Emmalin grabbed a set a clothes, changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top to sleep in, then walked back into her room, finding Kaleb laying in her bed, with his back against the headboard.

As soon as she walked in; he quickly jumped up from the bed and pulled the comforter back for her, wanting her to rest.

Emmalin paused near the bedroom door even though her sister was home now, she was still worried about her. During the spell, she picked up some of her emotions and saw glimpses of the things she went through.

She bit her bottom lip for a moment in thought, before saying,"Maybe I should check on-"

"She's fine." Kaleb interrupted. Knowing she was thinking of her sister. He knew she was still concern about her, but he knew Mara was the type that wanted to be alone. Plus he knew she agreed with him on the fact that Emmalin needed to rest. Those spells really drained her earlier. Even now she still looked a little pale and was swaying on her feet.

He made his way over to her, coming to a stop in front of her. He lightly grabbed her hands and took a few steps back, pulling her with him toward the bed, as he said,"You need to get to bed, pretty girl."

Emmalin didn't pull away, as he led her to the bed. She sat down, then laid out on her side, feeling any bit of energy she may have had leaving her body. She softly smiled as he pulled the covers over her, tucking her in, then tenderly kissed her forehead.

As he went to take a step back, she quickly reached out, grabbing his hand, as she whispered out,"Please stay."

"Of course." Kaleb said, as he looked down at her, surprised at her request. He had no plans of leaving her tonight.

He walked over to the other side of the bed, kicking off his shoes, and laying down beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back toward him to hold her close. He looked at the back of her head for a moment or two, before asking,"Did you really think I would leave you?"

"I'd hope not, but I wasn't sure." Emmalin said. "I know you were mad at me earlier-"

"I wasn't mad at you." Kaleb interrupted. "I was terrible worried for you, but I was never mad." He lightly kissed the top of her head, keeping his lips pressed against her, as he added,"I don't think I could be mad at you if I tried."

Emmalin smiled at his words, as she laid her hand on top of the hand he had wrapped around her, intertwining their fingers. "I'm sorry for worrying you. I just-I had to find her." She felt tears fill her eyes, as she softly said,"All I could think was; I just buried my parents, I can't bury Mara too."

Kaleb raised up on his elbow to look down at her, as he said,"You're not going to bury Mara." He brushed her hair from her face, as he added,"I'm going to make sure you never bury anyone again."

"I hope you're right." She whispered, as she rolled over on her back to look up at him. She reached up to lay her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down toward her for a gentle kiss.

The two kissed a little longer, before he pressed his lips against her shoulder, leaving light kisses where ever his lips landed, causing goosebumps on her skin.

"How's the shoulder?" He questioned, keeping his lips against her skin.

"It's fine." Emmalin breathed out, as she tried not to moan at the way he was making her feel. Any time he touched her it was like everything was heightened, it was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

He kissed her shoulder a few more times before raising his head to look at her. He ran his fingertip over her bare shoulder, moving the strap of her tank top aside. He could never stop touching her.

"That's good." He said with a smile, glad to hear her shoulder wasn't bothering her. He could tell she was in a lot of pain before.

"Yeah, it feels completely fine. Like nothing happened." Emmalin said. "I don't know how that is possible. The pain I was feeling, it wasn't like a tiny scratch, it was a major cut, but now... nothing. It's like she's healed and I'm healed, but there is no way she could have healed that fast."

"Maybe she's just good at hiding it." Kaleb suggested. He laid a hand on the side of her face, caressing her cheek, as he added,"Either way; she is home and she is fine, but you're not. Those spell took a lot out of you and you need to rest, pretty girl."

"I am tired and very drained, but I dunno, it's like I can't sleep." Emmalin said, as she rolled on to her side to face him."It's like, when I'm with you, I don't want that time to end. I don't want to say good night."

Kaleb smiled at her words, as he laid his hand on the small of her back and pulled her toward him. He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips, then rubbed his nose against hers, as he whispered,"We won't say good night then, love, we'll say good morning."

Emmalin grinned against his lips, giving him another kiss, before saying,"I like the sound of that."

Kaleb pulled back to look at her, a chuckle on his lips, as he said,"But you have to sleep first, before we can do that." He laid a hand on the side of her neck, as he asked,"So how do we do that? How do we make you sleepy?"

"Hmm..." Emmalin began to say. A grin appeared on her face, as she whispered,"Fairies."

"What?" Kaleb asked with a laugh.

She laughed with him, before saying,"It's what my mom use to do if I couldn't sleep."

"Right." Kaleb said, remember she told him about her mother telling her stories. "The fairy stories." He gave her a look, as he asked,"You're not going to ask me tell a story, are you?"

"No." She chuckled. "I was kidding. I don't believe in that stuff anymore, remember?"

"You should never stop believing in things that once made you happy." Kaleb said, as he ran his thumb against her cheek.

"That's good advice." Emmalin said with a smile. "What did your mom do?" She questioned.

"What?" He asked surprised.

"When you couldn't sleep, what would she do?" Emmalin asked, wanting to know more about his past.

"She uh, she... She gave me warm milk." Kaleb answered. "Warm milk and a freshly baked cookie."

"That's sweet." Emmalin said with a smile, as she began to feel sleepy finally. "I bet you miss your family, huh?"

"Yeah." He softly said.

"I want to hear all about them..." Emmalin sleepily said. Her eyes closed for a moment, before she opened them to smile at him, as she added,"I want to hear about your family, I want to hear about you. Your past... everything... every single story."

"Another time, pretty girl." Kaleb whispered, seeing her close her eyes again. He pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead, as he whispered,"But first sleep."

••• •**The next day• •••**

With a heavy sigh Mara looked up from the typewriter Klaus was having her use to record his memoirs. What had started out as a productive session, quickly went south when he went from telling stories of his past to drinking heavily and getting stuck on the topic of his siblings betraying and conspiring against him.

"They have all forsaken me. My siblings are as deceitful and diseased as my parents ever were." He said as he crossed in front of the doorway in his constant pacing, stopping only long enough to take a drink and pull in a deep breathing before continuing, "Accusing me of using my baby for my own gain. Trusting others before their own blood."

"Ugh!" she exclaimed as she made a typo. He turned around to see her opening a bottle of white-out to cover up the error.

Seeing he was watching her she asked, "Why can't I just use my laptop for this? Hitting backspace is a lot quicker than using this crap." With the cap back on the bottle she dropped it to the table where it bounced off the floor and she left it.

"That typewriter was good enough for Hemmingway." He stated, crossing the room to pour himself another drink.

"What?" Mara questioned with wide eyes, "This… this was Hemmingway's?"

He looked over his shoulder and nodded at her.

"Wow…" she breathed, lightly trailing her fingers over the aged keys. If he had Hemmingway's typewriter, now she couldn't help but wonder what else he'd managed to acquire over the course of his life.

"Let's continue." He said, walking back over to where he'd pacing for well over an hour.

"Alright." She agreed as she pulled the paper from the typerwriter and loaded a new sheet, "Maybe we should move onto another subject…"

"Elijah and Rebekah have cut to the quick with their vicious lies about me" He spoke loudly over her, motioning for her to keep typing.

Reloading the sheet she'd removed moments prior, her fingers scrambled to type and keep up with what he was saying, "When all I've done is try to win this battle of wills over Marcel's control over the quarter in order to reclaim our home."

When the clicking of the keys stopped, he turned to see she was sitting with her head resting in her hands instead of writing.

"Type, please!" He insisted, annoyance in his voice. Though truthfully, she was about the only person he wasn't currently annoyed or angry with.

"There's no point."

"What?" Asked loudly causing her to roll her eyes knowing even though her voice was muffled he heard her perfectly clear.

"There is no point for me to keep writing. Klaus, do you even realize you just keep repeating the same thing over and over?" She asked, her voice raised but not nearly as loud as his was.

With an almost stunned expression he walked closer and she gave him an example, "Rebekah is out to get you. Elijah is out to get you. Everyone is out to get you, they're all conspiring against you. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you thought I was conspiring against you as well."

"If the daggers weren't missing, I'd put one in each of their hearts. Rid myself of the burden of my siblings for a couple of centuries." He said, his words a little slurred as a twisted smile spread over his lips at the thought of it.

"Okay, I'm just going to call it a day here because we're getting nowhere."

"Maybe if you'd type like I've paid you to do-"

"I'm not talking about the memoirs, Klaus. Normally I'm all for a healthy case of paranoia, but this is nowhere near healthy and FYI, repeating the exact same destructive patterns over and over again; it gets you nowhere. Trust me, I'd know and that has a lot to do with you being miserable. I mean what happiness has daggering any of them before ever brought you?" She said, shaking her head as she started to get the pages from that day into a neat pile.

"Funny, I don't recall asking for your advice." He shot back at her.

Giving up on trying to get the stacks of pages looking tidy, she stood up and faced him, "Really? I mean that's what this is all about, right? That you want what everyone else wants… someone to actually care enough to listen to them and to be understood."

"What I want is for memoirs to written, which is what I paid you to and you're not doing it." He replied, his jaw tensed in anger.

She stared at him for a while before she said, "Then why am I here? You know how to type and you could do this all yourself, but instead you've got me here listening to your life stories. I think that's because you care more about someone listing to you and understanding more than you actually care about it recorded down on paper."

Downing the last of his glass he sat it down with a clank against the table as he said in a condescending tone, "Think what you want on your own time but while you're here and I'm paying you-"

Her face twisted into a look of fury and she cut him off as she loudly yelled, "What are you so afraid of?"

"I am afraid of nothing!" He yelled so loud it hurt her ears and started to instill the fear back into her that she'd had upon first learning who he was, but they'd gotten past that. She'd moved past that and she wasn't going to let a slightly drunken outburst make them take a few steps back, not after how he was with her the night before after coming to her rescue.

"Aren't you though?" She asked, her voice soft as she reached down and picked up the pages she'd been typing, "It doesn't matter who the typewriter belonged too, Klaus. You have me writing on it instead of my computer for the same reason you count every single page I've typed before you let me leave here, because you're scared to trust."

He was silent, swaying somewhat as he stood and watched her closely. Part of him amused at how she spoke her mind and wasn't afraid of him and the other part outraged for the same reason.

"I need to go." She stated, walking over to him as she said, "But just so you know, you don't have to pay me to spend time with you, okay? You're so convinced everyone is conspiring against you that you probably won't even believe this, but I care enough to listen to you on my own time and not time that you're paying me for. I'll give the money back… every single cent to prove it. I'm going by the bank after this anyways to draw money out for a new phone."

Leaning down she started to pick up her bag but when it turned on it's side, some contents spilled out –including a small recorder which landed at his feet. Which she didn't notice until she'd picked up her other belongings and stood up to see him holding it.

"Klaus… I can explain." She cringed as she spoke, knowing he was probably going to be fuming either way.

Without a word to her he looked at the buttons as he played what was on the recorder, looking up at her with a raged filled expression when he heard their conversation from just a few moments ago.

"What is this?" He asked, his voice almost had a growl to it.

"I can explain." She repeated, but he didn't give her a chance as he walked up to her and said, "Explain what? What you've been doing with these recordings or about how I should trust you?"

Swallowing hard and starting to wonder if she'd even get the chance to explain at all, she took a step backwards.

"I know how it looks but…" Pulling in a deep breath she continued, "Yes, okay? I have been recording your life stories when you're telling me them but it's not for some bad reason."

"You mean to tell me that you're not saving these, saving everything I've told you so that one day you might be able to find something to use against me?" His voice was steady, which was honestly more terrifying than if he'd been screaming at her.

Her eyes widened as she watched him crush the recorder in his hand before letting the broken pieces rain onto the floor.

"I would never do that." She argued, offended that he'd even think that of her, but she wasn't sure why it surprised her. He honestly thought every single person he met could be conspiring against him, and so far her case wasn't looking so good.

She took a few steps back, but for every single step she took –he took two more towards her.

"Am I going to get to explain what's going on or are you just going to rip my head off before I get the chance?" She asked, and he stopped directly in front of her. There wasn't fear present in her voice, there was sadness.

"I haven't decided yet… but in the meantime, if I were you I'd start talking."

Pulling in a shallow breath, she said, "I've been taking the recordings home and listening to them, but only because you never tell me anything in order. We jump from things that happened five hundred years ago to what Elijah did to upset you yesterday. From ancient Europe to the 20's in America. It's a mess and all I have only been trying to keep it organized and rewrite it because I know it's a disaster on paper too."

"You really expect me to believe that? That you've… what? Been working on my memoirs in your own time? That there's not some ulterior motive here?" His voice was harsher than his words, and despite the way the was looking at her like he really could end her life any second, she started to walk past him until he roughly grabbed her arm and brought her to an abrupt stop.

He'd thought she was trying to not only walk out in the middle of the conversation but that she was leaving without the real explanation he felt he was owed.

Her eyebrows furrowed in pain as she looked at him and said, "Let go of me, I'm just trying to get my computer to show you."

His hand instantly left her arm and she saw him look down to it as if he hadn't even meant to grab onto her like that.

Pulling her computer from her bag she held it in one arm as she put in her password and then set it down on the coffee table next to the type writer and sat down in front of it, as he sat down next to her to see what she was trying to prove.

Bringing up the program she'd been using to both organize and rewrite the memoir, she typed the password when prompted and quietly explain, "I've got it password protected so no one can access it… it's something even Emmy couldn't guess."

Once she was into the program she sat back and watched him as he opened up everything she'd saved. There were different folders for years and countries, an in progress timeline. It wasn't until he opened up word documents and started to read that he believed what she'd said. They were the stories he'd told her –only different. She'd turned the recordings of him rambling on about himself and everyone who'd betrayed him into a work of art on the page. Even though it was his own story, he still had trouble pulling his eyes away from it.

"If you hadn't broken the recorder, you'd have seen today was the only thing on there because once I get it typed out I delete the recording and I have never just left it laying around for anyone to find." She said, her words true and her tone confident.

He looked over at her with an unreadable expression and she blew out a sigh as she shut her laptop and handed it to him, "Alright, go ahead… crush it with your bare hands. But just so you know, if I live –I'm taking the money for a new one out before I give you your money back."

Looking down to the computer in his hands he was silent for a while before he placed back in her hands and softly said, "I think it would be a tragedy to destroy this. You certainly do have a way of turning the written word into art."

"Does this mean you're letting me live too?"

Her tongue was sharp as she spoke and he knew he deserved far worse.

"Mara-"

"Great, well… if I'm getting to live to see another sunrise I'm getting out of here. I've got things and I need to do and I'll drop your money off later."

Standing up she dropped her computer back into her back so roughly she wondered for a moment if she'd broken it herself, but she didn't let the thought slow her down as she started for the door but he stopped her. Taking hold of her arm again only this time he was gentle about it.

"Mara, you have to understand-" He started to say, but she was done with hearing his side of things.

"I do understand. Most of the stories you've told me have been about others betraying you and we've still got well over nine-hundred more years to go. I get why you immediately assume the worst about someone… but I deserve better than that because I have been nothing but loyal to you. Even when Marcel had me, I could have told him about Hayley and the baby… about how I know you are without a doubt trying to take over the kingdom here that he swears he built. But I didn't, I told nothing but half-truths to give nothing away and strategic lies and that was only after he threatened Emmy."

"You're right." He said over the very end of what she was telling him, "You deserve better… you deserve the best. Still, even knowing that doesn't stop me from wanting you."

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him, his words sinking in and as he stepped closer all she managed to breath was, "Klaus?"

"Even though you deserve far better than me… that doesn't mean I could, or would ever let you go." He continued, his voice barely over a whisper with his face just mere inches from hers.

"I don't think I want you to let me go…" She whispered back, the part of her that was constantly reminding herself that he was dangerous and the way she felt was wrong was getting taken over by the part of her that was feeling like she couldn't live without him.

As he put his hand on the side of her face and started to lean in to kiss her, she didn't pull back or push him away. She wanted him too and for her to have him she knew she'd have to accept the parts of him that no one else could. The darkness, the paranoia – he wore his demons the way others wear their hearts on their sleeves and she knew better than anyone that demons will always be there. Even on the brightest days, he'd still have darkness. In the happiest moments there would still be pain. But once his mouth was against her parted lips, she started to realize that she was okay with that. She could handle his broken parts because many of those demons, were also her own.

It took everything she had to finally break the kiss and step back, she wanted to stay there with him but she couldn't. Not only did she really have things she needed to get done that day, but a small part of her was still upset with him.

••• ••• •••

**A/N- Thanks for reading. Please take just a few moments to leave a review, the support goes further than you know. :)**

**Thanks to NicoleR85, SmellYourScentForMiles, Osen-san, xxxRena, Guest, Guest, Shades-Soul, BeaAdriana, and xxXWolfsLullabyXxx for reviewing since the last update.**


	15. The River in Reverse – Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 15 – The River in Reverse – Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Kaleb let out a tired groan, then reached out for Emmalin, but was met with an empty bed. He raised up and glanced over at the bedside table, seeing the time on the alarm, then turned his head looking for her and saw her sitting on the small seat in front of the window with her grimoire in her lap.

"Good morning." He croaked out, as he sat up in the bed.

Emmalin turned her head from the window, looking at him with a smile on her face, as she said, "Good morning."

Kaleb stood up from the bed and walked over to her, sitting behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her toward him, her back against his chest. He kissed her shoulder, before saying,"You're suppose to be resting."

"I know, I'm sorry." She said, as she turned her head to look at him. "I woke up a couple of hours ago and couldn't go back to sleep."

"You should have woke me." Kaleb said, as he kissed the side of her head.

"You looked peaceful." Emmalin smiled. "Besides you needed to rest too. You were doing those powerful spells with me. That had to have drained you too."

"A little." Kaleb admitted. "But I've had more practice with this. Usually you build up to it, with small spells. Lighting up candles, floating pedals, maybe a locater spell or two, but nothing like we did."

"I'm never going to get the hang of all of this, am I?" Emmalin questioned. "I'm never going to be a powerful Cromwell like the Cromwell's before me."

"You already are, love." Kaleb said, as he kissed her shoulder. "You are powerful, you just need to practice. I'll help."

"I feel like the more I look in this book..." She began to say, as she lifted the grimoire. "The more overwhelmed I get. I mean, I've flipped through it several times and looked over different spells, but I've never actually read it cover to cover before." She flipped a few pages, then said,"So I thought I would start it this morning and I'm still not finished."

"You will finish." Kaleb stated. "You can do this, Emmalin. I know cause you're already a powerful Cromwell, you just have to believe it."

"I want to, I really do, I guess... I guess I'm just scared." She quietly admitted. "I don't usually do things like this... you know, changing my life, living outside the box. Before we came here, my life was one way... I went to school, I-I was a good student, I was a good daughter, I had friends and that was my life. There were no surprises, I always knew what to expect and I lived my life, but now..." She paused for a moment, then continued, "And now I have no idea what my life is going to be like on a day-to-day basis. What if I mess up? What if we're supposed to be doing this huge spell one day and I just can't do it? What if I can't tap in to my powers? What if I screw up everything?"

"Hey..." Kaleb began to say, interrupting her rambling. He grabbed her chin, turning her face to look at him. "You won't mess up. Look at all you have done so far since you've been here." He caressed the side of her face, as he continued, "I'm sure your old life was great, but I bet it was missing something. There was no suspense, danger or passion, and that, love, that is what makes life worth living."

Emmalin smiled at his words before leaning forward and softly kissing his lips. She pulled back to look at him, as she whispered, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

"Same here, pretty girl." He said back with a smile.

She gave him another kiss then turned her head to look down at the grimoire. She flipped through a few more pages, then stopped when she came across a page about mates.

According to the grimoire, all light twins had a mate- a soul mate; a person they would feel a connection with. The connection would be similar to the twin connection, but different. They would feel drawn to this person, developing feelings at first glance. They would feel tingles with a touch and a spark with a kiss.

"Look at this..." Emmalin said, as she pointed down to the book, wanting to show him what she just read.

"Look at what?" He asked, confused on what she was trying to show him. He couldn't see anything.

"This!" She exclaimed, as she tapped the page.

"Huh, maybe I spoke too soon earlier." Kaleb said, as he took the book from her hand. Flipped back a few pages, then going back forward. "Maybe you can't read all of this, since there are no words."

"What?" Emmalin asked confused. She took the book from his hand, looking at the words about mates again. She turned in the seat to face him, as she held up the book and asked,"You don't see anything on this page?"

"No. Nothing at all. It's blank." Kaleb answered.

"Oh, my God." Emmalin breathed out. "Only I can read it. My-My parent mentioned how special our grimoires were and they were personal for just us. That it would only help us, but I didn't realize that meant only we could read our individual books." She shrugged, as she added,"Makes sense though, I guess."

Kaleb nodded his head, as he said,"Yeah it does. Your bloodline is powerful, unique and different. A lot of people would want it, they would want your grimoire. It's quite brilliant actually, spelling the book so others can't read it." He glanced down at the book, looking at the blank page, as he added,"Of course that means you'll have to read it to me."

"I can do that." Emmalin said with a giggle. She pointed to the page, as she said,"Basically this is talking about soul mates. Every light twin has one. It says when you meet your mate, you feel instantly connected to them. You can't get enough of them, you crave them."

She bit her bottom lip for a moment, remembering all the feelings she felt when he was near her or touched her, before softly saying,"One touch from your mate can make your whole body come alive."

"Is that so?" Kaleb questioned, as he raised his hand, letting it hover over her shoulder before he lightly ran a finger against her skin, making her body do exactly what she read.

"Mm-hm." Emmalin mumbled, with a nod. "And when mates kiss..."

As her voice trailed off, he laid his other hand on the side of her face. He leaned closer to her, his lips inches from hers. He paused for a moment, as he looked into her brown eyes, feeling like he never wanted to look away. It had been that way since he first laid eyes on her.

He gave her a smile, as he whispered,"Like this?"

He closed the gap between them, as he pressed his lips against hers, making them both feel a spark, just like the first time they kissed and any time after that. He never really believed in soul mates, that there was one person out there for him, but he couldn't deny that from the moment he met her, there was something there between them.

"Like that." Emmalin whispered, when he broke the kiss to rest his forehead against hers.

He gave her another kiss, before he pulled away and asked,"What happens next? When a light twin meets their mate?"

"They're bonded forever." Emmalin answered. She glanced down at her book for a moment, before looking back at him and adding,"Well, if that is what they choose. We have freewill. If we want to be with our mate, there's this whole ceremony that occurs, that bonds them together. The things we feel now, is just the start, once the mates are permanently bonded that feeling is heightened, unlike anything we have felt."

"That doesn't sound bad." Kaleb said, as he watched her look back down at the book. Since meeting her he has felt like he couldn't stand to be away from her, so being with her for a long time sounded good to him.

"The mates also share magic. It's different from us joining to do a spell, the mate will be just as powerful as the light twin. They will be equals." She said, telling him what she read. She looked at him as a small smile appeared on her face before she said,"I think my parents were mates."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She said with a nod. "I remember my mom use to tell me all the time that she and my dad were mates, and that one day I would find my own mate, but I thought she meant- you know, regular soul mate. Like a mother just saying,'oh one day you'll meet you prince', sorta thing. I didn't know she meant something like this."

"At least they found each other." Kaleb pointed out.

"Yeah." Emmalin said. She looked back down at the book, her face falling, causing him to ask her what was wrong.

"As much as I hate that I lost them both, at least one doesn't have to live without the other one. According to this, that is a very hard thing to do. The pain is too much for the living mate. A lot of times they can't survive and end their own life." She quietly explained. "I would hate for my mom or dad to go through that. I honestly don't think one could have lived without the other. I know I wouldn't be able to live without... my mate."

She didn't want to come right out and name him as her mate. She was fairly sure he was, but she didn't know how he felt about all of this. The connection went really deep and permanent. It wasn't like a regular relationship where if it didn't work out, you were upset for a few months, ate tons of ice cream and moved on. This was a bond for life. It was serious and she didn't want to scare him away with talks of forever.

Kaleb softly smiled at her comment, then laid a hand on the side of her face, as he said,"And your mate would not be able to live without you. It would destroy him."

Emmalin smiled back at his words then leaned forward to press her lips against his for a tender kiss. Neither one knew what the future held, but in this moment they both knew what they wanted and they would fight against whatever may come to ensure they will never be apart.

Now that they have met each other, they couldn't imagine a world without each other. They felt like they didn't need a ceremony to be bonded, in their opinion they already were.

••• ••• •••

Mara's head was spinning as she walked down the sidewalk, bumping into a few people and not even bothering to acknowledge them.

After leaving Klaus' earlier that day, she'd went just far enough out of the quarter that she felt her magic wouldn't be sensed so she could work a spell to spy on Marcel. She didn't trust him at all, not after he'd kidnapped her.

What she'd heard shocked her, they were plotting Klaus' takedown for that night. There was a place known as The Garden, which held the desiccated bodies of vampires who'd betrayed and broken Marcel's rules. During her spell, she'd seen Marcel saying he had the perfect spot picked out in the very back for Klaus.

She immediately felt bad for not telling Klaus after he'd saved her in the woods that Marcel was in fact, conspiring against him. But she'd felt like that information she needed to hold onto incase she needed something to bail her and her sister out of trouble –she'd never imagined the plan would be moving ahead this fast.

A part of her felt like Klaus was invincible, he was immortal and couldn't be killed. Other than by a white oak stake through the heart; but Marcel seemed so confident in his plan of overpowering the hybrid and sealing him into the garden that she was believing it could be done.

Which now left her with two choices; taking the opportunity to grab her sister and flee New Orleans for both their freedom and safety or try to intervene with the plan and help Klaus.

Technically she didn't owe him anything. He might have saved her from being held hostage but she and her sister both had worked spell after spell for him so she felt like it somehow had to balance out.

She knew what she'd do if she only had herself to think about, she'd probably already be at the compound to see what was happening and help Klaus if he needed it. But it wasn't just her, she had her sister to think about.

Plus, honestly the way he'd treated her that morning a part of her wanted him to hurt a little –but not to the point of being sealed into a wall and starved for god only knows how long.

Taking a deep breath she came to a stop and leaned against a brick building trying to stop the whirlwind thoughts inside her head.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore and knew she couldn't just flee town and let Marcel's plan actually work and it would be a hell of a lot easier to help Klaus in his fight with them then it would be to break him out of the garden.

Reaching the entrance she quietly snuck inside and immediately moved to hide behind a ceiling to floor column, so far she could see Klaus facing off against Marcel and Rebekah with a couple handfuls of vampires around the outside of the room.

"You think you can subdue me, with this?" Klaus shouted, and Mara looked around knowing he could easily take down that many vampires.

Maybe she wasn't really needed here after all.

But just as she turned to leave she heard Marcel say, "No, but I think I can with this."

Following the sound of a loud whistle she looked back to see vampires emerging from every shadow of every doorway –there were so many that for a moment she thought about running off.

The old her would have turned tail and ran; she was sure about that. If something went wrong or she felt there was too much risk involved, she'd always chosen to retreat. But she'd changed since being in New Orleans, some of it for the better, the other parts she wasn't so sure about yet.

One thing she knew was that she was stronger than she'd ever been before, not just in her power and magic but in other senses that she'd lacked before; like loyalty. Since her parents death she'd been taking care of her sister the best she could, always watching out for her and trying to keep her safe. She felt a sense of family now and a closeness with Emmalin that she couldn't remember feeling before –that made her a stronger person, a stronger witch, a stronger everything.

Somewhere over the course of her time spent around Klaus she'd developed a bond with him too. For the most part, she understood him –even his damaged parts. There was so much different between them, yet in many ways she felt like she'd related to him more than anyone else she'd ever met.

"Vampires of New Orleans, do recall that I am an original, a hybrid. I cannot be killed. Eternity is an awfully long time. How long do you think Marcel will stay in power? What if one of you lot were to release me, knowing I would be eternally in your debt? Oh, I would pity those of you who dared to cross me. I can assure you, your ends would be spectacular." Klaus said to the crowd as he spun in a slow circle taking in his surroundings and judging the threat posed against him.

Mara took back to her hiding spot to stay hidden from view, hoping that Klaus really did have this all under control and she wouldn't have to intervene.

"To borrow a trick from an old friend…" He said as he displayed a single gold coin, "Whoever picks up this coin gets to live. Now which one of you magnificent bastards wants to join me?"

Mara watched, waiting to see which of Marcel's crew would side against him to save their own ass. After all, if she'd been out there she'd probably have dove for that coin to be on the winning side of things.

Marcel surveyed his vampires as he said, "Anyone wants that coin, pledge allegiance to Klaus… take it now. Go ahead, the choice is yours."

The compound feel into a deafening silence, everyone looking around to see if anyone would actually switch sides but to both Mara and Klaus' surprise, no one did.

"Take him." Marcel instructed, and on his cue several of his vampires charged the hybrid but he seemed to effortlessly fight them off.

The sounds of cracking bone echoed off the walls, but Mara stood unaffected, peeking around the side of the column to watch the fight with an amazed look on her face. The way he was taking down all of the vampires who charged him was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. She'd heard stories of how strong he was, how deadly and how he couldn't be stopped. But there were times that he'd touched her so gently that she'd almost forgotten what he was.

Maybe seeing him like this should have scared her, seeing exactly how dangerous he really was but it didn't. In fact the situation was seeming to have the opposite effect, she wasn't seeing a monster in those moments. She was seeing a warrior fighting to defend himself, not backing down or shying away from a fight where he was grossly out numbered.

After completely eliminating the first group of vampires, he turned to Marcel and held his arms out to the side in a showmanship manner. Believing himself to be as untouchable in that moment as Mara also believed he was.

But on orders, some vampires threw some large heavy chains which coiled tightly around Klaus' arms and then pulled him backwards, where the other vampires immediately snapped into action. Hitting him to keep him broken and down as much as they could, a constant barrage of violence against him to keep him subdued until they'd be able to drag him off to the garden and seal up his fate.

Mara stepped out of her hiding place when she witnessed a few different vampires beating him with crowbars and lightning fast speed, and though she knew that was probably nothing compared to the things he'd done to others in his life, it enraged her.

Finally weakened so much that he stopped fighting back, he was down on his knees, his head lowered and bleeding from both his mouth and several stab wounds on his body, his arms were still out to the sides rendering him defenseless when the chains were hooked onto the walls.

Mara frantically looked from side to side, trying to think of a spell to somehow either help Klaus or weaken all of the other vampires at once so she could get him out of there.

A vampire she recognized as Diego, one of Marcel's most trusted inner circle vampires walked up to Klaus and reached down, tilting his face up to look at him before he slashed him across the chest, the hybrid let out a loud scream of pain and it woke something inside of Mara.

Looking up she saw Diego hit him across the face a few times and she wasn't sure how she knew what to do. It wasn't any spell she'd read from in her grimoire, it seemed to be something that was ingrained to her mind.

Closing her eyes she focused on her own power and a wind started to swirl around the room, the lights flicked and the crowd parted in front of Klaus to see where she was standing.

Holding her arms out in front of her, she turned her hands over where her palms were upwards and raised her hands up, bringing forth Klaus' werewolf side with the movement; bringing to the front the beast that resided within him.

Everyone was focused on her, trying to figure out what she was doing that none of them saw Klaus raise his head and look at her, his eyes glowing yellow –that was until a deep growl shook even the very foundation of the building.

One of the vampires started towards her, intending to kill her to break whatever connection she'd forged with the hybrid to make him stronger than before

Smirking at the approaching threat, she threw her arms out the side as she said, "Fractos." And the chains broke from the hooks on the walls, releasing the beast she'd brought out.

The vampire who was targeting Mara got just in front of her when Klaus threw his arm out, wrapping the chain still connected it to around the vampire's neck before pulling backwards and tearing his head completely off his body.

Soon the room was in complete chaos as the vampires tried to overpower him again, but now he was truly unstoppable. Broken bodies bounced off the walls, while others had wood driven through their hearts, others had their hearts completely torn from their chests and heads were rolling across the floor.

The plan which was working moments before had now turned into a suicide mission for everyone involved. Most of the vampires were so loyal to Marcel that they continued to fight the losing battle until their own demise, a few stragglers tried to flee the room but with a flick of Mara's wrist they were sent soaring through the air and right back into the battle.

"Enough!" Marcel's voice roared through room.

When everything stopped, he knelt down and picked up the coin with shaky fingers.

"Well, well, well… the great Marcel, self-proclaimed king of New Orleans, bowing before me." Klaus said as he walked over to him.

Tossing the coin to his feet Marcel said, "There."

Raising his head to look up at Klaus he said, "I hereby pledge my allegiance to you. You have the keys to my kingdom… it's yours."

A smile spread over Klaus's face at his words, it might have been a painful, bloody, grueling process but he'd gotten most of what he wanted. He was now the king himself.

Walking past Marcel to where Mara was still standing he gave her a blood stained smile before placing a hand on her lower back and leading her towards the door to leave. Knowing everything she'd said to him earlier was the truth –she was loyal to him; and he'd now seen first hand just how powerful she was.

He was now completely sure he could make this work, he could rule the quarter. Marcel had bowed down to him and he was sure that would ensue in all of his followers now being under his own control. He was immortal, indestructible and with a powerful witch at his side he was sure everything was falling into place.

••• ••• •••

Later that evening, after the sun went down, Kaleb dragged Emmalin out of the house. He still wanted her to relax, but he also didn't want her stuck in the house. After reading in her grimoire that morning, he could tell she had a lot on her mind. She was feeling overwhelmed by everything, still recovering from the rough spells the night before and thinking of her parents.

He didn't want her to be locked up all night in the house lost in her own thoughts, instead he wanted to take her out and try to cheer her up, try to keep her mind off of things. First he took her to their cafe, Jumpin' Beans Cafe, to get her favorites, then he took her a couple of streets over to a bench.

Once they made it to the bench he was looking for, he told her to sit down, then stood in front of her with a smile on his face, as he waited for her to realize where she was. She glanced around for a moment, then looked up at him, as she began to say,"Is this..."

"Mm-hm." Kaleb said with a nod. "It's the bench. Our bench. The place where I first laid eyes on you, pretty girl."

"You know, even though it wasn't that long ago, it feels like it was." Emmalin said. "We had only been in town a few days, we haven't even started practicing yet, and we had definitely never did any spells for original vampires. Things are so different now."

"Yeah it is." Kaleb said, agreeing with her, as he sat down beside her. "That day completely changed my life. It was like any other day or so I thought..." He turned to look at her, laying a hand on the side of her neck. "Then I saw this beautiful girl trying to make a leaf come back to life, and I thought to myself... well first I thought I needed to stop her before she got caught and I lose her before I even had her, but then I thought, I have to talk to this girl. I need to talk to her."

"I'm glad you did." Emmalin said with a smile. "I don't think I could have made it through any of this without you, Kaleb."

He brushed her hair out of her face with his other hand, then laid it on the other side of her neck, before he leaned toward her and said,"I'm glad I can be of assistance, love. And just know, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good to know." She whispered, as she leaned the rest of the way to rest her forehead against his. Now that she was fairly certain he was her mate, she was even more happy to hear that he wasn't going anywhere. She knew she wouldn't be able to live without him.

The two sat quietly together, until he pulled back and asked,"Hey, you remember when we did our first spell together?"

"Yeah." She said with a nod. "We made rose petals float." She let out a chuckle, as she added,"After telling me we couldn't do magic, we then did a spell together. You were a rule breaker from the beginning."

He laughed with her, then shook his head, as he said,"Nah, I just wanted to impress you."

"No, you are definitely a rule breaker." Emmalin said with a laugh, before she gave him a quick kiss. "You are a rule breaker, Kaleb, and you make me want to break a few rules too."

Kaleb smiled at he words, then grabbed her hands, as he said,"Come on."

"Where are we going?" Emmalin questioned, as he pulled her up from the bench and began to lead her down the sidewalk.

A few minutes later, the two walked inside the cemetery, the one they went to the first day they met. She smiled as she realized he was taking her to some of their places; the cafe, the bench and now the cemetery.

The two walked hand in hand as they walked through rows of tombstones, stopping by to visit his ancestor, then began to walk toward the back of the cemetery. He grabbed a rose from a rose bush, handing it to her and jokingly asked if she wanted to do a spell.

She laughed at his question then come to a quick stop when she saw someone had written the word 'killer' on a gravestone. "Oh my God, who would do something like that?" She asked, as her face fell.

"People with nothing better to do." They heard someone say from behind them, causing them both to turn their heads and seeing a blonde headed woman standing behind them holding some cleaning supplies.

Emmalin looked at the gravestone, seeing the name 'Sean O'Connell', then looked back at the woman, as she began to say,"This is your..."

"Brother." Cami answered. "My twin actually."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Emmalin said sincerely. "I have a twin, Mara, and I can't imagine living without her."

Cami nodded her head, as if to thank her, then said,"Wait, you said Mara? I met her. I thought you looked familiar and I guess that is why."

"Yeah, we might not be identical, but we do have similar features." Emmalin said. Both girls had dark hair and brown eyes, but Emmalin was a few inches taller. "How did you meet my sister?" She questioned.

"I'm a bartender at Rosseau's." Cami answered. "She came in there, tried to order a drink, when I could clearly see she was underage."

"That sounds like Mara." Kaleb said with a chuckle, as Emmalin nodded her head.

"I'm Cami." The blonde said with a friendly smile.

"I'm Emmalin." She said back. She wrapped an arm around Kaleb, as she added,"And this is Kaleb."

"It's nice to meet you two." Cami said, as she walked past them to start cleaning the gravestone.

"Do you need some help?" Emmalin offered.

"No, thanks." Cami said, as she began to scrub off one of the letters. "Sadly this is not the first time I've had to do this."

Kaleb looked at the name on the tombstone and vaguely remembered hearing about what happened. He didn't really follow the story, just heard rumors about it, causing him to ask her what happened.

"Kaleb, maybe you shouldn't-" Emmalin began to say, thinking maybe Cami didn't want to talk about it, which she totally understood.

"No, it's okay." Cami said, as she stopped cleaning and turned to look at them. "Just about everyone in town has heard the story anyway."

"I haven't." Emmalin said, hoping that little fact helped. She knew how it was to have everyone know about a tragedy in your life, then those same people always had a comment or opinion on everything. It got tiring to listen to.

"I heard a little." Kaleb admitted, causing Emmalin to lightly elbow him in the side. He glanced at her girlfriend for a moment, then looked back at Cami, as he added,"And by little, I mean not much. I don't know anything."

"My brother was studying to become a priest at St. Anne's. He was a sweet boy, I swear he was, and he would never do what he did that day." Cami said. Tears filled her eyes, as she added,"I knew him, he was a part of me, I know he would never do this. When we were little, he use to get upset if he accidentally killed a bug. Now tell me, how can someone like that, grow up to murder his seminary students, then himself? It doesn't make sense."

"That's the thing about death." Emmalin softly said. "You're left with so many questions. What happened? Could I have done more? Could I had stopped it?" She glanced down for a moment, thinking about her parents, as she added,"What if I came home just a few minutes early? If I would have been there, I could have called for help, I could have saved them."

When she felt Kaleb wrap an arm around her and pull her toward him, she realized she was about to lose it right there, but now was not the time. She blinked back the tears, then cleared her throat, before she raised her head to look at Cami, apologizing for getting carried away. This was not about her or her tragedy.

"It's okay." Cami said with a small smile. "I don't know who you lost, but chances are, if you were there, you couldn't have stopped it. There are some things out of our control." She blew out a breath, softly chuckling at her self, as she added,"Sorry, I'm a psych major."

"It's okay." Emmalin said with a smile.

Cami turned to look at her brother's tombstone again, as she added,"There is a lot of evil out there and I guess there is nothing we can do about it."

"Or maybe there is." Emmalin said so quietly only Kaleb heard it since he was beside her. She was right, there was evil out there, but because of what she is, maybe there is something she and her sister could do about it. Maybe one day they would be strong enough to fight evil, so good can win for once.

"What?" Cami questioned, as she turned to look at her.

"Nothing." Emmalin said with a shake of her head. She gave her a small smile, as she said,"I'm sorry about your brother and the things people say about him. No one deserves that."

"Thank you." Cami said, as she flashed her a small smile back.

After telling her it was nice to meet her, Emmalin and Kaleb began to walk away. Remembering the things she said earlier, he grabbed her hand, pulling on it to get her attention. When she turned her head to look at him, he said,"Hey... it wasn't your fault."

"What?" She asked confused.

"Your parents." Kaleb said. "Even if you would have returned home, you would have been attacked too." He came to a stop, turning to face her, as he grabbed her other hand, before adding,"Then I could have lost you before I ever met you and I am certain I would have felt that lost. I'm sorry that you lost them, love, but I am relieved you weren't there. I'm sure your parents would be relieved about that as well."

When he saw tears fill her eyes, he reached up with one hand to wipe them away, before continuing,"They would want you to live, to have a long, happy life. And they would not want you carrying any guilt."

"I never stay out late. Never." Emmalin began to say. "But that night, since we graduated from school, my friends begged me to stay out a little longer. I knew I shouldn't, I knew I should have just went home, but I did it. I stayed, and by the time me and Mara made it home, it was too late."

"It's not your fault, love." Kaleb repeated. He laid his hands on either side of her face, seeing a few tears escape her eyes. "Do you hear me? It's not your fault. Like Cami said, some things are just out of our control."

"Who could do something like that?" Emmalin questioned, her voice cracking as more tears fell. "We lived a normal life, in a smaller town, it wasn't like here. My parents didn't even practice. They said they quit when mom got pregnant with us. They didn't want that life anymore. They just wanted to be normal and live a long life, but that life was cut short and I don't understand why. Why did this happen, Kaleb, why?"

As she broke down and began to cry, he pulled her toward him, folding his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head and just held her close.

Sadly he had no answers for her. He couldn't tell her why bad things happened to good people. Cause of their bond, it was almost like he could feel her emotions and he hated there was nothing he could do to help her, all he could do was be there for her, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Hello! Long time no post. I apologize for the lack of updates. Between personal problems and internet problems, this story was placed on a bit of a hold, but I'm hoping to get back into it. I hope there are some out there still interested in this story and have missed the twins as much as me. **

**Thank you for the ones reading. Also I want to give a special thanks to ****NicoleR85, xxxRena, geminigurl89,xxXWolfsLullabyXxx, Jules, Guest, SmellYouScentForMiles, Guest, beth, mary, RoniMikaelson, carrie, I want more, Zenith Relaxation, piper, penny, Guest and cory**** for reviewing. If I missed anyone, I apologize. **


	16. Reigning Pain in New Orleans – Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 16 – Reigning Pain in New Orleans – Part 1**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin left her bedroom and began to walk down the small hallway, as she glanced down at her phone, reading the text Kaleb sent her. She was in the middle of texting him back, when she heard a knock at the front door.

She pocketed the phone, then made her way over to the door, curious on who it could be. Mara was out and even if she did return, she wouldn't knock, and Kaleb didn't mention in his text that he was coming by. Matter of fact he said he had some errands to run and he'll see her later.

She was surprised when she opened the door and saw Elijah standing on the other side, with his sister Rebekah beside him.

"Hello, Emmalin." Elijah said with a polite smile. "Pardon me for dropping by unannounced, but I was hoping you could help us with something."

"Let me guess, a spell?" Emmalin questioned.

Elijah ignored the slight annoyed tone in her voice. He gave her a small smile and nod, as he said,"Just a simple locator spell. We need to round up all the wolves in the bayou. They will no doubt hide as soon as we step foot there. We need you to help locate them."

"I appreciate you asking, instead of demanding, from what I have heard, you are nothing like your brother. You're the good one, the noble one." Emmalin said. "But I'm going to have to pass. I've done enough to help vampires before. I can't keep doing that. It's going against everything I have learned, the things I believe in."

"Understandable." Elijah said with a nod, letting her know there were no hard feelings, but his sister wasn't ready to give up.

"Listen, witchy, I know being the light one you don't like working with the big bad, but we're not your enemy." The blonde vampire began to say. "Klaus has ordered a slaughtering of the wolves for no reason other than to get the other vampires on his side. If we don't stop him, the lot of them will be murdered. Do you really want to live with that over your head?"

"What my sister is trying to say is in this instance the wolves are completely innocent. They are being used basically as a bargaining tool so Klaus can buy his loyalty to the others." Elijah said.

"And once my brother has rid us of all of the wolves, who do you think is next?" Rebekah asked.

"The witches." Emmalin softly said. She had no doubt once Klaus killed off all the werewolves, he would try to get rid of the witches next. He wouldn't want to chance any of them trying to take him down and she couldn't allow that to happen. She couldn't let him hurt the other witches, but most importantly she couldn't let him hurt Mara or Kaleb.

"This is a 'enemy of my enemy' situation. We need to help each other for the greater good." Rebekah pointed out.

"We wouldn't ask if the situation wasn't dire." Elijah said. "But we don't want you to go against your beliefs. If you can't help, we understand."

"The hell we do." Rebekah exclaimed, as she shot her brother a look. She didn't want to spend hours trekking through the bayou looking for the werewolves.

"We will understand." Elijah repeated, as he looked over at Rebekah. "Isn't that right, Rebekah?"

The blonde blew out an annoyed breath, as she looked back at the witch, then said,"We'll understand."

"Klaus really wants them all killed for no reason?" Emmalin questioned with a concern look on her face. She wouldn't be surprised that he would do something like this, but even with the stories she had heard about him, she was still shocked he would do something like this.

"Every last one of them." Elijah answered.

"Okay." Emmalin said with a sigh, after silently thinking about it for a couple of minutes. "I'll help, but I can't promise I can do the spell on my own. I'm still learning."

"Please." Rebekah said with a scoff. "You're a Cromwell. You bloody lot are quite powerful without even trying. Trust me, I know."

Emmalin gave her a look, as she asked,"Have you met any of my ancestors?"

"A few through the years." Rebekah said. "But that is a tale for another day."

Elijah held out his arm toward the witch, as he asked,"Shall we?"

Emmalin grabbed her coat and slipped it on, then hesitated for a moment before taking Elijah's arm and letting him lead her to the vehicle parked outside the house. Rebekah walked along behind them as she mumbled,"Here comes the bloody vampire-witch-rescue-squad."

••• ••• •••

Mara sat with her legs crossed underneath her in the chair she was sitting in, facing a coffee table with the type writer in front of her.

Since Klaus had taken over reign of the quarter, he'd moved into the compound where Marcel and his vampires had been living. Only Klaus had informed her that this was his rightful home and he was merely reclaiming what was his.

For the better half of the morning she'd been listening to Klaus ramble on about his family again and about his siblings deserved far harsher punishment than had been dealt before. She was supposed to be typing down every word he was saying as he recapped what he'd been doing before the night he rescued her from being held hostage by Marcel's vampires.

She looked over at him, seeing him pacing with a drink in his hand, which was normal for when he was retelling his life stories and she slowed her typing down until finally stopping all together and picking up her grimoire from beside her.

Since the day before when she'd somehow brought the beast in him to the surface so he could fight back against Marcel's entire army, she'd been looking through not only her grimoire but several spell books she'd borrowed from her Uncle Erik. It didn't feel like a regular spell, it felt like she'd somehow had some connection directly to him, an open channel of sorts. But so far her searching hadn't revealed anything.

"So then I bit Elijah and left him in the bayou with my hybrid venom in his veins. Serves him right for making such vile accusations against me and…" His voice trailed off when he realized she wasn't typing anymore. Turning he looked her way as he questioned, "Are you taking this down?"

"Mara!"

Jumping slightly her grimoire tumbled from her lap onto the floor where Klaus quickly grabbed it before she could.

"You're supposed to be typing." He stated.

"I agreed to not give you your money back if you agreed to stop telling me to do things on my own time." She reminded him, her eyes glued to her spellbook.

Truthfully she didn't like anyone touching it, even her twin sister. She wasn't sure why, she just felt a connection to the book the moment it had been gifted to her from her parents.

"Yes, but you're supposed to be focused." He reminded her, but it was clear he wasn't angry.

"Give that back." She said, holding her hand out but instead of handing it over, he curiously looked down to the page she'd been studying.

His eyebrows lowered as he glanced at her then turned a few pages and looked back at her as he pointed out, "The entirety of the book is blank."

"No it isn't." she sighed, standing up and pulling it from his hands as she closed it and held it tightly against her chest she explained, "You just can't see it, no one can except for me."

"You spelled your own grimoire?"

"No." She shrugged, "It just came this way… Cromwell magic is sacred I guess and not for prying hybrid eyes."

"Prying hybrid eyes?" He repeated back with laugh as he watched her bury her grimoire in the bottom of the bag she'd brought with her under the other books she'd scattered around her in the chair while she was supposed to be writing his memoirs, as if she were afraid he'd try to take her grimoire again.

When she didn't turn back around or say anything to him, he lightly grabbed onto her arm and turned her to face him as he "Yes, well, I think you gave everyone a taste of that sacred Cromwell magic yesterday."

She smiled back at him, her eyes locking with his before she admitted, "Yeah, I kind of surprised myself."

"I told you were powerful." Klaus reminded her, his eyes slowly drifting down to her lips as she said, "Yeah, but you get why that was so powerful, right? Because it was dark magic… apparently so dark that it's not even in my grimoire."

"I don't think you're worried because it was dark magic." He said, brushing her hair out of her face before trailing his hand down to the side of her neck where he could feel the blood rushing under her skin as her heart picked up speed and he remembered the taste of her blood. For centuries he'd drained the life force from countless humans and witches, tasted animal blood, werewolf blood even blood from other vampires –but he'd never tasted anything that was near the way her blood tasted to him.

She opened her mouth to say something but before she could, he added, "I think you're afraid to admit that you liked the darkness… the power from it."

"No, I-" she started to protest, but he cut her off as he leaned in, his face only inches from hers. His voice wasn't above a whisper as he said, "It's okay to crave that feeling of power."

She swallowed hard, her eyes were glued to his and she couldn't look away even if she'd wanted to, which she didn't. Truthfully, she'd always loved the feeling of being powerful but that wasn't what being a witch was about. Her parents told her that if she and Emmalin were going to live as practicing witches then it was their duty to keep the balance, to work for the greater good not for personal gain or power.

Which is what she'd been telling herself repeatedly, but now she was wondering if he was right. Maybe it was okay to like the feeling being powerful gave her or maybe it wasn't and she was starting to just not care.

Her breath caught in her throat as he trailed his other hand across the front of her throat before resting it on the other side of her neck as he leaned in farther, his lips lightly brushing against her ear as he said, "It's okay to want people to fear you…"

"And they should." He added, just as he pressed his mouth against hers; claiming her lips in a kiss that made her entire being feel alive again.

There were times when she felt being around him was good for her; she could open up to him in ways that she couldn't anyone else, not even her twin sister. She could lay bare all her darkest thoughts and to him it wouldn't matter because his were darker. Somehow she found comfort in that –that no matter what she did, he'd done worse. But there were other times when she logically knew he was bad for her, letting her embrace the darkness in her could make her dangerous.

He made her want to be selfish, to put her own wants and desires above all else which had been out of character for her since her parents died and she'd grown so close to her twin sister. She'd been putting Emmalin first and she knew her relationship with Klaus would not only scare her sister, but also disappoint her. She didn't want to upset or scare her, but disappointing the people close to her wasn't something new.

His hands slid down her sides and around to her back as he pulled her against him and she didn't protest in the slightest. The more she was around him, the more she wanted to be and the less she cared about the logic standpoint of it.

She was growing sure that the brain didn't have much pull in matters of the heart, or maybe it did and deep down she was also scared to let herself admit that too. That she was consciously and logically able to accept him, even at his worst. Because, after all… what would it say about her if she was falling in love with a monster –with a beast.

"The humans called a meeting their not exactly thrilled about the change in leadership-"

At the sound of Marcel's voice Mara quickly stepped away from Klaus, and spotted the vampire over Klaus' shoulder and from the look on his face it was obvious that he'd seen them. Marcel slowly nodded his head and looked down, he'd had his suspicions about them – it was easy to tell when Klaus cared about something because it was a rare occurrence.

But when he'd held Mara for questioning and the teenager broke down in tears, swearing that Klaus had forced her into working for him and she didn't know what he'd been planning –he'd actually started to believe her.

Looking back to Klaus she raised her eyebrows in question, wondering why Marcel was apparently still walking around the compound like he was in charge.

"Sorry. I didn't know you had company." Marcel half-heartedly apologized.

"Yeah, well knocking would have fixed that dilemma." Mara said, her eyes narrowed at him as she replayed everything that had happened to her during her time in captivity and how her sister had almost killed herself trying so hard to work spells to find her.

Klaus' lips curved up into a smirk at her attitude before he turned around to see his old friend and said, "She has a point."

"We've got an hour." Marcel stated, ignoring the comments as he added, "That's when the human faction called the meeting."

"Well, how unfortunate for them." Klaus responded as he walked over to the corner table and poured himself a drink as he nodded towards chairs by the large windows flooding the room with sunlight.

"I'm gonna head out." Mara announced, as she grabbed her bag from the chair she'd been sitting in and pulled it up on her shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, love." Klaus said, giving her a look from over the rim of the glass hovering at his lips that earned him a smile from her as she agreed with a nod, "Tomorrow."

••• ••• •••

After arriving in the bayou, Elijah and Rebekah followed the scent of the werewolves to the last known place- their camp, but once the smell stopped, they turned to Emmalin, waiting for her to do a locator spell to continued tracking them.

She glanced around for a moment, blowing out a breath, as she said,"This would be a lot easier if I had something that belonged to them."

"What about this?" Rebekah asked, as she held out a small doll that belong to one of the small kids of the pack.

Emmalin took the doll from her hands, then looked down at it, brushing the matted hair back. Just knowing there were small kids involved that Klaus was planning to have murdered made her realize she was doing the right thing.

Whenever she helped someone who was not her kind, that was not a witch, she was always secretly worried if it was the right thing to do or not, but these werewolves didn't do anything wrong. They were already kicked out of the city, forced to live like this, and now Klaus wanted them killed just to prove to the vampires that he had no ulterior motives. It wasn't right and she knew she would not be able to go on with her life knowing she didn't try to do something to help.

"Well? Out with it." Rebekah stated, as she stood beside Emmalin. "Get on with the spell."

"Sorry." Emmalin breathed out, as she pulled her eyes away from the doll. She looked at the blonde original, then said,""I'm sorry, I just... I guess I just didn't realize there would be... that there are kids here. Your brother wanted to kill kids or at least take their only family away. That's not right. What is wrong with him?"

"Look, my brother is dastardly, but he wasn't born that way." Rebekah said. "Life wasn't easy for him, I'm not making excuses for his actions, just pointing out there are many different sides to him."

"No offense, but I wouldn't want to know any side of him." Emmalin said. "I'm sorry about whatever from his past made him the way he is, but with the things he has done, I don't think he could be forgiven."

"You'll be surprised what you could forgive a sibling for." Rebekah said back.

Before Emmalin could say anything back, Elijah shushed them when he heard noises from the other side of the camp. The two originals told Emmalin to stay put, as they rushed over to stop Diego and the other vampires, telling them to leave that clan of werewolves alone.

Curious on what was going on, but mostly didn't want to be left alone, Emmalin quietly made her way over to where they were, then paused when she heard her cell phone go off. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was Kaleb texting her. She never texted him back earlier and he was a little worried about her.

She was about to text him back, when she heard Rebekah calling out for her, telling her it was okay to come out. She slipped her phone back into her pocket then continued to walk over to where the two originals were.

"Ah, great. I think as well our job here is done." Rebekah said when Emmalin came to a stop beside her. She had feared this mission would take longer and was thrilled she could leave the bayou now.

Elijah, however did not agree with her comment, when he sensed they were being watched. "Not quite." He said, before rushing off to confront whoever was nearby.

"Come on." Rebekah said over to Emmalin, before she grabbed the witch's arm and used her vamp speed to rush over to her brother and the other woman.

When they came to a stop, Emmalin leaned over, resting her hands on her knees as she took several deep breaths, not use to the speed. She felt like she just stepped off of the world's fastest rollercoaster. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she felt like her stomach had dropped down to the ground.

"Never do that again." She choked out to Rebekah, as she tried to catch her breath.

Rebekah smirked at her, then turned her attention to the other woman by her brother, as she said,"One of Hayley's litter-mates, I presume?"

"Hayley sent you here to protect us, didn't she?" The woman; who Elijah referred to as Eve, asked. "Tell her we appreciate the concern, but we've been looking out for ourselves for a while now. We don't need Originals or a Cromwell to protect us."

Hearing her last name, Emmalin raised her head to look at the other woman. Wondering what she knew about her family, but before she could ask, Eve continued,"Nobody finds us unless we wanna be found."

"Well, we found you, so..." Rebekah pointed out.

"Like I said." Eve said back. She turned her attention to the two originals, as she said,"There's something I thought you and your family should know about."

As she began to walk toward the camp, the other three followed her. She laid a map down, then used the stake in her hand to point out different areas as she explained that her and her pack would be fine, they knew the swamp like the back of their hands, they knew all the places to hide.

But there were newcomers showing up, word had spread about the pregnancy and now wolves from other states were migrating to the area, wanting to see the miracle baby themselves, those were the ones that needed help. They were the ones who needed protection.

"You say that like we're supposed to care." Rebekah said, as she eyed Eve.

"Believe me, you're gonna want them kept alive." Eve stated.

"And why is that?" Elijah questioned.

"See for yourself." Eve answered, as she rolled up the map.

As Elijah and Rebekah began to walk away, Emmalin took a step closer to Eve as she asked,"You knew my family?"

Eve nodded her head, as she said,"The Cromwell line has been around for many generations. Some have been good, some haven't."

"The light-dark twins?" Emmalin questioned.

"Mm-hm." Eve answered. "You're worried about your twin. Worried you will lose her to the darkness." She added, as a statement more than a question. She could tell Emmalin was the light twin, she has met other light twins before whowere worried about the exact same thing.

When Emmalin nodded her head, letting her know her assumption was right, she added,"I wish I could tell you that you had nothing to worry about, but they don't call it a dark twin for nothing."

"Not Mara." Emmalin argued. "She's strong, she can fight the darkness."

"I hope you are right." Eve said. "But she might not be the one you really need to worry about."

"What does that mean?" Emmalin asked confused.

"Be careful who you trust." Eve said.

Emmalin opened her mouth to ask her more, until Rebekah called out for her, telling her to come along. Emmalin turned her head to look at the blonde, then turned her head back to see Eve walking away, planning to go back into hiding.

She lowered her eyebrows in confusion. Wondering what she meant by that comment, wondering who it was she was not supposed to trust.

She trusted Mara with her whole life and trusted Kaleb more than anyone else before. She couldn't imagine any one of them betraying her, but what if they did? She wouldn't be able to survive that. Or what if it was someone else? Would that be something she could handle?

Is there anything in this world she could handle, is there anyway any of them would make it out alive.

••• ••• •••

Mara jogged across the street towards the building that in her time of watching Marcel and his vampires, she'd noticed they seemed to congregate at.

The part of building facing the street had large windows, she wasn't sure what kind of glass it was made out of but you couldn't see inside.

Jogging around to the alley running beside it, she pulled the hood up on her thin black jacket before pulling open a door and stepping inside to a dark hallway. She could hear the faint thudding of music coming from a door off to one side as she started towards the door she passed a guy who had a girl backed up against the wall, her first thought was that they were in the middle of a heated make-out session –but as she got closer she was more than sure that the guy was a vampire who was feeding on the girl he had pinned.

As Mara passed them, she lowered her head hoping to not be spotted and made a mental note of how the girl didn't seem to mind being fed from, in fact judging by the sounds of her heavy breathing she was enjoying it.

Just as she reached the door, Mara peered back over her shoulder to them one last time before she pulled the door open and walked inside keeping her head lowered and intending to just observe the place and the people in it, that was until someone grabbed her and pinned her arms behind her back.

She knew from the cold, dead feeling she was overcome with that it was a vampire and seconds later when her hoodwas pulled back she was sure the other guy standing in front of her was also a vampire. She opened her mouth to tell them to let go of her but before she could they let go of her and took a couple of steps back.

Mara wasn't sure if they retreating because they'd seen what she could do or if it was because they'd seen her around with Klaus, either way she couldn't deny she liked having that power over them.

Shooting them a look she started to walk further into the room until she realized where she was standing was some sort of blood bar. The lights were dim off to one side of the room with several couches and chairs which were filled with vampires feeding from humans, off to the other side near the windows the tables were illuminated with sunlight from the UV blocking glass as several of them sat with glasses and bottles of alcohol.

No wonder she'd noticed a large number of vampires entering and leaving the building, it's a place she was quickly realizing she shouldn't have entered.

Turning around she started to dart back towards the door but just as she reached for the handle it opened and she stared at Klaus with wide eyes.

Giving her a confused look he questioned, "Mara?"

"H-hey!" She sputtered out, her voice a few octaves higher than normal as she looked around and admitted, "I uh, I saw a lot of vampires coming in here… and well, now I know why…"

Her eyes darted over to where Marcel walked into the room and then over to the corner where most of the feeding was happening, she looked back to Klaus who was now holding back a laugh at seeing how nervous she was.

"Well, yeah… I was just going so I'll see you tomorrow." She breathed starting to walk past him. Marcel stepped to the side to let her out of the door but before she could make an exit, Klaus put an arm out stopping her as he said, "You're already here… might as well join us, love."

Her eyes widened as she turned to face him and stuttered out, "Join you for what?"

"A drink." He stated, the smirk on his lips didn't calm her nerves at all as he placed a hand on her lower back and led her towards a table in the sunlight part of the room, ignoring the several excuses she gave as to why she needed to leave right that minute.

She sat down at the table and rested her elbows on the table with her hands cupped around the sides of her neck, so nervous at the moment that she didn't even realize Klaus walked away until Marcel sat down across the table and asked, "Why were you following my guys?"

"They're not really your guys anymore… are they?" She shot back at him, keeping her hands in place over her neck and ready to blast a hungry vampire away from her with magic if she needed to.

"Either way… kind of dangerous to walk in here by yourself." Marcel stated, and she couldn't tell by the look on his face whether he was stating the obvious or threatening her, but she was getting the feeling whatever meeting they'd attended with the humans didn't go so well.

Jumping slightly from the sound of a small clank on the table, looking over she saw Klaus sitting a bottle of alcohol and three glasses down.

"Oh, a drink." Mara realized out loud, dropping her hands from her neck and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"What did you think I was talking about?" Klaus questioned her with a knowing smile.

Clearing her throat she shrugged in a refusal to answer him, he obviously knew what she thought he meant and was now enjoying how out of place and nervous it made her.

Appreciatively, she took the glass from Klaus as he sat down and filled one half full for her, which she drank down in one swallow and looked up to see Marcel looked like this was the last place on earth he wanted to be.

"So…" Mara breathed, clutching the now empty glass in her hand, "How did the meeting go… with the human faction?"

"It depends on who you ask." Klaus said, eyeing her for a moment before he picked up the bottle and refilled her glass and added, "I thought it went over quite well but Marcellus here, is disappointed by my lack of diplomacy."

When his friend shot him an unamused look Klaus looked at him and admitted, "I think I was far more gracious thenthey deserved."

Mara was only half listening to their conversation as her eyes drifted back over to what she'd dubbed as the feeding corner, despite her best efforts she couldn't help but stare. She saw a male vampire sink his teeth into a female humans neck, instantly her brows furrowed and her eyes closed but it was difficult to tell if she was in pain or really enjoying being fed from –possibly even both.

She felt out of place, like she was witnessing something intimate that should only be happening behind closed doors. Only, it was clear it didn't seem like a private affair to anyone else there, she was even pretty sure that most of the humans there weren't even being compelled.

Her hand went back to the side of her neck and she swallowed hard as she wondered what exactly it would feel like to have a vampire drink your blood; more specifically what it would feel like if Klaus were to bite her. With that thought she looked over at him to see he'd been watching her.

His eyebrows raised in question and she quickly looked away hoping he had no idea what she'd been thinking about. She'd replayed the night he'd saved her in the woods several time, how he'd licked the fresh blood up from her shoulder wound, for a while she'd thought he was going to bite her that night and honestly, in the heat of the moment with him she'd kind of wanted him too.

This was the seedy, dark underbelly of the supernatural world and it should have disgusted and scared her, not intrigued her but it seemed like the lines between right and wrong were becoming more blurred every single day.

She was lost in her thoughts until Klaus' phone rang from his pocket.

Mara looked over as he stood up to take the call, out of the corner of her eye she saw Marcel raise his head and she realized he could hear what was being said on the other end of the line.

Before she even had the chance to question who he was talking to, the sound of an explosion pierced her ears, the room was covered in a wave of shattered glass from the front windows and within seconds she was on the floor with Klaus over her, using his body as a shield to keep her safe.

Just as quickly as the explosion happened, there was a brief moment of complete silence and Mara looked up, her wide brown eyes scanning the room, fearing that she was going to be permanently deaf. Then suddenly the silence was cutwith the sounds of agonized screams from the nightwalkers who hadn't been gifted with daylight rings. The UV blocking glass was gone and all around her the vampires started to burst into flames.

Without hesitation Marcel rushed after his vampires, trying to pull them into the shadows of the room where the sun couldn't reach them. She wanted to do a spell to somehow block the sunlight or at the very least ask Klaus what they should do, but she didn't get the chance as the sound of rapid gunfire ran out, tables and chairs splintered and were blown apart.

The vampires who had been trying to help save the others were blown back from the gunfire, including Marcel who was hit with several bullets to the chest and stomach –his blood spraying in a mist over Mara's face as she fearfully peered out from under Klaus' arm before his arms tightened around her and he turned them so no stray bullets would hit her.

She could feel his body jerk several times and heard his pained groans in her ear as he literally took bullet after bullet and kept her safe. He would heal, she knew that, but still no one had ever done anything close to taking a bullet for her before.

In reality the whole thing probably didn't even last a minute but to her it felt like they were never going to get out of there, as if the gunfire would last for hours. Klaus made another pained noise and saw a bullet tear through his arm just near her face and fall to the floor, noticing its strange shape she reached out with trembling fingers and picked up the blood coated bullet and saw it was made of wood.

The gunfire stopped and they remained still for a few moments to make sure there wasn't going to be another attack.

Standing up, Klaus pulled Mara to her feet and quickly looked her over while she stood still with a stunned look on her face in a state of shock as she saw all the charred skeletons from the vampires and the bullet ravaged bodies of humans.

After making sure she was alright and that none of the blood on her was her own, Klaus turned to see Marcel laying on his back on the floor.

When Mara was finally able to begin processing what happened she looked down to see Klaus trying to help Marcel remove the wooden bullets but he knocked his hands away before standing up and pulling the bullets out of himself. In his eyes this was a hundred percent Klaus' fault, he'd tried to tell him they needed to negotiate with the humans and not dictate them and now because of the original's actions –his guys were dead.

While the wooden bullets weren't going to kill Klaus, the ones still lodged in his body were causing him immense pain, especially the ones he couldn't reach himself to get out of his back.

"Here." Mara said as she gently placed her hand over his that was behind his back as she breathed, "Let me help you."

He looked over his shoulder at her and nodded as he pulled his jacket off, grimacing from sharp wooden bullets cutting deeper inside of his back. Reaching behind him he grabbed onto his shirt and raised it out of her way.

So many thoughts were going through her head; she wasn't sure how to feel or react in the moments following theattack on the blood bar. She wanted to thank Klaus for shielding her from both the glass and the gunfire, but instead her mouth hung slightly open as she continued to pull the bullets from his back. Some were lodged deep and she was sure if she wasn't half in a state of shock this would be making her stomach turn.

New Orleans had been a place that made her feel alive, she'd faced the most danger there but also for the first time felt real happiness too. It was definitely a place of firsts and she'd found herself doing things she'd never dreamed of –like pulling wooden bullets from a vampire's back.

Marcel glanced over at them and then back down to a blackened skeleton that still had smoke rising from the charred bones.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Marcel loudly yelled out in rage as he angrily flipped the table over they'd been sitting at.

Turning around he pointed to Klaus as he accused, "This is on you, now that you're in charge those are your guys laying dead. Your guys! If you're gonna run this city than that better mean something to you, or else no one worth a damn is gonna follow you."

After Mara pulled the last bullet out, Klaus pulled his shirt back down and looked to Marcel as he admitted with a smile, "I was beginning to worry about you. I don't think I could've taken any more of this differential nonsense. I mean,_clearly_ I underestimated the faction. That won't happen again. But, tell me -now that we've arrived to this point, now that they have come into our home, visited this upon our people... How would you counsel me to respond?"

"Let's go kill them all." Marcel responded through gritted teeth.

She looked down at her fingers which were covered in Klaus' blood and her eyes widened as she frantically wiped them on her shirt and then wiped her face with the back of her less bloody hand, but when she pulled it away she saw blood smeared on the back of it and realized it had to be on her face as well.

"You alright, love?"

Looking up to Klaus she numbly nodded, "I'm fine."

She had no clue how her voice sounded to them but to herself it sounded alien. Maybe it was because her hearing was still damaged from the loud explosion or maybe it was because she was still in shock over what happened –either way it felt like someone else talking. It felt like someone else walking in her shoes as Klaus led her out of the building following Marcel.

••• ••• •••

For the last several hours; Emmalin, Elijah and Rebekah walked through the bayou, trying to locate the other wolves. Emmalin tried to do a locator spell a few times, but since she had nothing to connect with from them it was hard to do the spell. She couldn't help but be disappointed in herself. She felt like a failure, with how powerful her line is, sheshould be able to do solo magic by now.

She came to a stop when she heard her cell phone ringing, then took it out of her pocket to see it was Kaleb calling. He had sent her a few more text throughout the day, but she was never able to text back, which was really worrying him by now.

"Cute bloke." Rebekah said, as she came up behind Emmalin, seeing the picture of Kaleb on her phone, as he called her. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah." Emmalin said with a smile, as she looked down at the picture, seeing his smiling face.

"Good for you." Rebekah said, as she walked past the brunette until she heard her let out a little sound of surprise. The blonde turned around to face her, as she asked what that noise was for.

"You really meant that." Emmalin said, a surprised look still on her face.

"I may be a vampire, but I still have feelings." Rebekah pointed out.

"A vampire who believes in love." Emmalin said. She shook her head for a moment, as she said,"Sorry. I guess I justassumed-"

"That we are all heartless monsters." Rebekah finished for her. "Trust me, all I've ever wanted was to truly be in love."

"Have you ever been?" Emmalin asked.

"A few times, but Nik always finds ways of ruining it." Rebekah answered, as a sad look appeared on her face. "I know you must question my motives sometimes, but let me save you the trouble. I'm not that different from you or any other girl out there. I want to be free, to be consumed by love and be happy. It is all I ever wanted." She took a step closer to Emmalin, looking down at her phone, before adding,"So if you have found love, hold on to it with all your might and know that you are one of the lucky ones."

Without another word, Rebekah went to walk away, until Emmalin called out her name, causing her to come to a stop. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely to the blonde vampire. "I'm sorry for judging you without even knowing you."

"It's okay. I judged you a little too." Rebekah admitted. "I thought you were too soft for this world and nothing like your powerful ancestors, but now I see that I am wrong. You are powerful, Emmalin Cromwell, you are strong." She gave her a genuine smile, as she added,"And you're going to be okay."

Emmalin smiled, as she mouthed the words, thank you. Rebekah nodded her head, as if to say, you're welcome, then began to walk over to her brother as the two began to search some of the campers and tents set out.

Emmalin looked down at her phone, knowing she needed to call Kaleb back. She could hear the siblings near by talking, as Rebekah accused her brother of having feelings for Hayley. She looked over at the two originals and softly chuckled as they went back and forth.

Moments like this she could forget for a moment what they were, she could forget they were over a thousand year old vampires and imagine them as any other siblings. Even she and Mara have had similar conversations, where one was trying to deny feelings for someone. She actually did that when she first met Kaleb, she was scared to get close, scared to get him involved, and even though that is still a fear, she couldn't stay away from him anymore. She couldn't imagine not being with him.

She looked back down at her phone, planning to call him, until they heard noises coming toward them. The sounds of people running and realized the hunting party was back. Seeing a group of vampires heading for them, Emmalin threw out a hand and whispered out a spell to cause a few to come to a stop. She had them frozen to the spot they were in. No matter how much they tried to move, they couldn't.

She could see Elijah from the corner of her eye grabbing Diego. She threw up her other hand, keeping the other vampires back in case they even thought about trying something, unfortunately trying to hold back that many at once was quickly draining her. She could feel a small trickle of blood coming from her nose, but ignored it as she kept her hands up, fighting to keep the others back.

As Elijah had words with Diego, telling him to take his hunting party and leave before they became the prey, Rebekah stepped up behind Emmalin and laid a hand on her shoulder as she quietly said,"You can let go."

Emmalin nodded her head, then lowered her hands, bending over to rest them on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath. Holding them back alone was harder than she thought it was going to be, but she didn't want to take any chances.

While Diego and the others left, feeling frustrated and embarrassed, Elijah turned to look at the wounded werewolf, as he let out a pained groan and pulled himself up from the ground. He looked at the three in front of him, as he asked,"Who are you people?"

Elijah stepped closer to him, seeing the necklace around his neck. He picked up the ring, recognizing it, then asked,"I would say the better question is: Who are you?"

••• ••• •••

**A/N - ****Thank you to everyone reading and thank you for understanding the hiatus. I'm going to try to start updating more regularly so hopefully no more breaks for a while lol. Special thanks to NicoleR85, YOU'RE BACK, Zenith Relaxation, CherryBlossoms016, geminigurl89 and xxxRena for reviewing last chapter. But seriously, it means so much to me that people are still reading and interested in this story. So thank you all again. **


	17. Reigning Pain in New Orleans – Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 17 – Reigning Pain in New Orleans – Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Mara sat in the middle seat of the black SUV that Klaus and Marcel had exited moments before, she was aware of the fact that Klaus had said something to her before exiting the car but she didn't have a clue what it was.

In all honesty she barely remembered the drive there but the shock was slowly starting to wear off and she knew why they were now parked outside of a building –Klaus and Marcel were going in to kill the human faction.

Reaching out she grabbed onto the handle and slowly pushed the door to the car open before stepping out on still weak legs.

Knowing what was about to happen in the building she should have checked to see if the keys were still in the ignition so she could flee or at the very least flag down a cab but instead she was walking towards the entrance to the very building where as massacre was going to be taking place.

Maybe she was going inside because she needed to prove to herself and Klaus that she could handle this world; could handle being with him or maybe it was because she wanted to know him –all of him. Possibly it was even morbid curiosity and a macabre fascination with death. Mara didn't know which one it was but despite her better judgment she opened the door and went inside fully expecting to walk into a blood bath but instead she saw men in suits sitting around a table, the chief of police and Father Kieran.

The loud echo of the door slamming shut behind her commanded everyone's attention and she was met by the extremely confused expressions of the human faction staring back at her.

A couple of police officer were standing to the side, acting as guards for the meeting and immediately started towards her until a familiar voice called out, "Mara?"

Seeing her Uncle Erik rushing towards her as he asked, "Oh my god, Mara are you okay? Where are you hurt?"

Realizing for the first time since standing in the bloody, burnt aftermath of the blood bar explosion that she was still bloody she shook her head, "It's not my blood."

"Erik, you know her?"

Mara wasn't sure who had asked the question but her uncle laid his hand on her shoulder before assuring everyone, "Yes, she's my niece, Mara. It's okay, she knows." He motioned around the room to let everyone know that she was filled in on the towns supernatural inhabitants.

"Yeah, well my wife is clued in on our vampire problem too and she's at home where she should be cooking dinner. You don't see me inviting her to these meetings." The chief of police said with a crude laugh that secured Mara's belief that Klaus was doing the right thing by killing them.

Erik shot him a look over his shoulder before looking back to Mara and asked, "What are you doing? What happened to you?"

"What happened to me?" She repeated back, her eyes narrowed as she shot back, "What you doing here? I was almost blown to pieces earlier today!"

His forehead lined with confusion before he realized what she meant and he turned to the rest of the group with anger in his voice as he yelled, "You tried to blow up a building with my niece inside of it?"

"I've heard enough." The chief of police yelled back as he rolled his eyes, "Instead of chastising us for what we did, maybe you should ask your niece what she was doing in a well-known vampire hang-out. And this Klaus Mikaelson, I don't care who he is or what the rumors say… he needed to be taught a lesson.

"You didn't consult either of us." Erik pointed out, motioning between himself and to where Father Kieran was standing, nodding Kieran agreed, "You are going to start a war."

"I'd like to see them try, oh and Kieran this is the last time you call a meeting." The police chief continued.

"Mara, what's going on… why are you here?" Erik asked in a hushed whisper as he turned to face her knowing that Kieran hadn't called the meeting.

"Did you know they were going to attack that blood bar?" She ignored his question and countered with one of her own.

"No." He said, shaking his head back and forth before his eyebrows lowered and he asked, "Wait a minute, what were you doing there in the first place… and where's your sister?"

"I didn't call this meeting… I thought you did." Kieran admitted to the group as Mara took a few steps back from her uncle, shooting him a look as she tried to determine whether she believed him or not.

"Actually I called it." Klaus announced as he walked into the room stopping behind Mara as he rested his hands on her shoulders and in a quiet voice said, "I thought I told you to wait in the car."

Erik looked between the original and his niece as he started to piece together that she was at a vampire hotspot because apparently she'd been spending a lot of time with a vampire –something she'd failed to mention to him during the times she was at his house learning more about magic with her twin sister.

Then his eyes widened as he realized why Klaus was there –retribution for what happened earlier that day.

"It appears I made a grave error during our earlier conference. My friend Marcel offered me wise counsel and I failed to heed it." Klaus spoke the group.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you've learned your lesson." The police chief said with a cocky smile.

Mara looked down to hold back a laugh, these idiots really thought they were going to teach Klaus some sort of lesson and he'd go quietly. They had another thing coming.

"Oh, I won't be making that mistake again." Klaus assured them and Mara looked around the room when she felt Klaus' hands slide off her shoulders and he walked closer to the table where everyone was sitting.

She took a few steps backwards, not that it mattered she was already bloody from earlier but she really wasn't looking to add to that mess. Especially considering she'd have to go home later and didn't want Emmalin being worried about her –nor did she want to admit that she'd watched Klaus and Marcel slaughter a room full of humans.

It was clear to both Erik and Kieran that Mara was more clued in on what was happening than they were. Seeing the teenager stepping away from the table, Father Kieran swallowed hard and hung his head knowing what was about to happen.

"Marcel?" Klaus called out with a smile on his face and the vampire seemingly emerged out of nowhere and plunged a pen off the table into the side of the police chiefs neck, blood immediately began to spray out and covered the woman sitting next to him, she screamed out in terror but made no attempt to flee. None of them did, as if they already knew their fate was sealed and running would only make the kill more fun for the vampires.

"Shall we?" Klaus asked Marcel who smiled and motioned to the table as he replied, "After you."

Mara stood in place watching the scene play out in front of her, in truth she knew it probably should have bothered her more than it did but she'd always been an eye for eye sort of person and from what she'd seen the vampires at the blood bar didn't deserve to go out that way. Everyone in there who'd been killed had their own story –maybe they'd sought out vampires to be turned or maybe it was something forced upon them.

She'd considered that they were in there minding their own business when the attack went down, not to mention that the humans inside were killed too. It wasn't the faction planned the attack as a way to try and protect the humans in the quarter, no, they'd massacred nearly everyone in the building out of greed for wealth and power and Klaus' refusal to bow down to them.

After raising up from draining the blood of the last person who'd been at the table, Klaus wiped his mouth as he turned to where Erik and Father Kieran were standing, both of them with their eyes glued to the floor and refusing to look at the piles of still warm bodies laid out in front of them.

"Such a sad day for our city, some of its best and brightest killed in a tragic boating accident on the Mississippi." Klaus said as he placed a hand on Kieran's shoulder and for dramatic effect added, "Rather nasty explosion, I heard."

"Now…" He breathed looking between them, "What am I going to do with the lot of you?"

"Hold up, I've known Kieran a long time. He's smart and he's fair. He can do us more good alive than dead." Marcel defended as he came to Kieran's rescue.

Looking over to where Erik was watching them with his forehead starting to glisten with sweat under the lights on the ceiling, Klaus said "And what about you? Our other lone survivor… what are you even doing here?"

"I didn't know about the attack." He quickly spoke up, "I got an alert about the meeting and that's the only reason why I'm here… I didn't know what was going to happen."

"I've been dealing with Erik for a while too." Marcel cut in, "He's played a big part in helping to keep peace with the different factions… the witches in particular are more keen to listening to one of their kind."

"Yet, here he stands… secretly working with the human faction." Klaus pointed out.

"I have no powers, remember?" He said back and Mara could see some anger starting to present itself under the fearful expression he'd been wearing.

For the moment she held her silence, trying to figure out the best way to go about the situation. She didn't want Erik killed, while she didn't entirely trust him, he was her blood –the only other family she had left besides Emmalin. But she also knew pleading to Klaus to pardon him might not do much good.

When she did open her mouth, she needed to be smart about it. When Marcel had taken her hostage she'd used her human side to get his sympathy to keep herself alive, she knew he had a soft spot for Davina so she compared herself to the younger teenage witch and it had worked. But this situation was different, Klaus was different.

When Klaus started walking closer to Erik, Marcel looked over to Mara with a look of disbelief on his face. Erik was her uncle, yet she seemed to be making to attempt to help plead the case as to why he should live.

"You can't kill him." Marcel finally stated.

"And why not?" Klaus asked with an amused look on his face as he turned to face his old friend.

"For one he's worth more to us alive than dead and two; he's Mara's uncle."

When Klaus looked at him Marcel shrugged, "I don't see you care about much, so it's not exactly hard to tell when you do care about something… or someone." He said as he glanced over to Mara.

Klaus also looked to the teenager who finally thought of the angle she needed to use to go about saving Erik's life, "You're going to need people to get the human faction up and running again. The next in line to fill these spots aren't going to buy the boating accident story… they're going to be nervous with you running things now but they already know Erik, they'll trust him."

"Spoken like a true diplomat… a natural leader." Klaus observed looking at her with a smile before he nodded back to Erik and added, "Smart girl."

"Yes, she is." He agreed as he looked at his niece with an appreciative nod.

Blowing out a heavy sigh Klaus said, "Alright… very well then; use this reprieve to remake your human faction."

"And how do you expect me to remake the mayor?" Kieran asked in a disapproving tone and Mara couldn't help but smile at his bravery, talking like he wasn't in the presence of someone who could rip his throat out in a matter of seconds –she decided then that she liked him.

"Well, surely there's a deputy mayor… get the faction back together and we'll reopen negotiations." Klaus sternly said, clearly less amused by the comment then Mara had been. With that he walked past him and placed a hand on Mara's back to lead her towards the door with him.

"Mara?" Erik asked as he saw his niece being led from the room, suddenly having many questions for her and when exactly she'd gotten so close to Klaus Mikaelson. He'd been not only mentoring his niece who hadn't mentioned it to him, but Klaus was the one who wanted both Mara and Emmalin to learn their magic and get stronger so he could use the Cromwell line to his benefit; he hadn't said anything either. He felt like he was slowly losing any control that he had over the situation.

The pair stopped and she looked back to him with a questioning look and he nodded for her to stay with him so he could talk to her.

She looked over at Klaus who was intently watching her before she shrugged and said "It's getting late… I should be going." She gave him a small smile before nodding to Klaus that she was ready to leave.

**••• ••• •••**

After talking to the werewolf; who they learned was named Cary; Elijah and Rebekah drove Emmalin home. They explained that the ring that Cary had belonged to their mother and after talking to Cary, they realized he was part of a clan that was Klaus' bloodline from his real father. The two siblings hoped by finding some of his real family, that would help make amends and Klaus would forgive them for assuming the worst in him this time.

Emmalin wasn't sure if their plan would work or not, she saw Klaus as evil and cruel, but they knew him a different way. Either way, she still wished them good luck, before exiting the car and made her way toward the front door of her house.

As she went to open the door, she heard someone walk toward the porch and speak out her name, causing her whole body to relax when she heard his voice. She turned around, seeing Kaleb standing by the steps. She felt bad when she saw the worried look on his face.

He opened his mouth to ask her where she has been, to tell her how scared he was all day when he never heard back from her, but before he could say a word she ran across the porch and jumped from the top step into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck, as he held her tightly against him, burying his face in her hair to breathe her in.

He had no idea where she had been all day and had been assuming the worst. He was seconds away from doing a locator spell to track her before she finally arrived home. When he heard her whisper out she was sorry, he intertwined his fingers in her hair, pulling her head back to look at her before capturing her lips for a heated kiss.

Her fingers instantly went into his hair, as his lips moved across hers then began to kiss across her jaw and back before kissing down the front of her neck. He kept his lips against her skin and blew out a breath, feeling like he could finally relax now that she was there in his arms.

"I'm sorry." She whispered again.

Kaleb pulled back to look at her, laying a hand on the side of her neck, as he softly said,"Just tell me you are okay."

"I'm okay." She said back.

"When I couldn't reach you, I didn't know what happened, and then I saw you get out of a vehicle with two originals-"

"They didn't hurt me, I promise." Emmalin said, as she slid down his body, her feet landing on the ground. "I actually went with them to the bayou. Klaus had ordered for all the werewolves to be killed. Elijah and Rebekah came to me, wondering if I would help."

"And just like that you went with them?" Kaleb asked surprised.

"It was wrong, Kaleb." She explained. "It's not like the werewolves did anything wrong, Klaus was just abusing his power and needed to be stopped."

Seeing a little dried blood on her face, he sighed, trying to wipe it away, as he said,"You should have called me, love."

"I know, I'm sorry." Emmalin said. "I had planned to, I swear, but it all happen at the last minute. It was like a, now or never, sorta thing."

"I understand that, but I... I don't want you to deal with something like that alone, okay?" He laid his hands on either side of her face, as he added,"A lot could have went wrong and if something happened to you and I couldn't be there to save you... If I-If I lose you, Emmy, I would never forgive myself."

Seeing the fear in his eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if that has happened before. She tilted her head to the side, as she questioned, "Who have you lost?"

"What?" Kaleb asked confused.

"Who couldn't you save in the past? Who did you lose?"

"No-No one." Kaleb answered. He pressed his lips against her for a long kiss, feeling like he never want to pull away. If it wasn't to catch his breath, he probably wouldn't have. He rested his forehead against hers, both their breathing labored, as he said,"I just don't want to lose you, love."

"You won't." She quietly promised, as she laid a hand on the back of his neck. Running her fingers through his hair. She knew exactly what he meant, between the ones she has already lost and the mate bond with him, she knew she wouldn't be able to go on without him in her life. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it for him though. There was still a lot in his past she didn't know and she couldn't help but think back to Eve's warning about being careful who to trust. Was there more to Kaleb she didn't know? Was it something that would completely break her heart?

••• ••• •••

"What happened to you?"

Mara raised her head and looked in the mirror above the sink in one of the bathrooms at the compound to see Hayley leaned against the open door frame watching her.

"I was almost blown to bits in a vampire blood bar." The witch answered as she continued to scrub the blood away from her hairline.

"Are you okay?" Hayley questioned, her arms dropping to her sides as she stepped closer to the sink. Other than the original family, Mara was one of the few people who'd watched out for her and helped her on more than a few occasions even putting herself in harm's way in the process.

"I'm fine." She admitted blowing out a breath and laying the washcloth down on the sink as she turned and leaned against it as she faced the pregnant werewolf and breathed, "I was almost killed today… saw both vampires and humans slaughtered… and I'm fine, how is that even possible?"

Shrugging Hayley offered, "They say after being around something for long enough, you can get used to just about anything, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Mara nodded, "It's just so weird to think about that not all that long ago I was graduating high school with my sister and had plans to move away from home for college and then everything just changed and i…" She shook her head before admitting, "I certainly never thought I'd be here."

Cracking a smile Hayley asked, "What? You mean you never saw yourself having a heart-to-heart in the bathroom of a vampire compound with a werewolf who's pregnant with some miracle baby?"

Mara laughed as she shook her head back and forth and said, "Nope, this definitely never came up in any of those '_where do you see yourself in ten years'_ assignments from school."

They both laugh and Hayley turned to leave as Mara faced back to the mirror, pausing just in the door way she said, "For the record… I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, it would have been a lot worse if Klaus hadn't been there. He had to use his body as a shield to cover me." She admitted as she scrubbed more blood away from her hairline.

The room was so silent, Mara thought Hayley had already left until she heard the bathroom door shut and turned around to see Hayley was now in the small room with her.

"Hayley, what are you-" Mara started to ask, but Hayley put her finger against her own lips to tell the witch to stop talking as she leaned past her and turned the water on for the shower full blast, leaving her even more confused than she was before.

When Mara shot her a look, Hayley whispered, "We're surrounded by vampires."

Nodding and crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back against the sink as she nodded for the werewolf to tell her whatever it was she'd locked them both in the small room together for.

"You know what Klaus did, right? He ordered some mass murder of the wolves today… those are my people, my family and he gave some order to have all of them slaughtered." Hayley explained.

"I overheard something about it but I didn't know the details." Mara whispered back before pointing out, "Wasn't he trying to get the target off of your back that the vampires have?"

"By killing innocent people? Do you hear yourself right now?"

Mara's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she stared down to the tile floor and replayed what she'd just said in her head and realized it must have sounded much worse outside of her head.

"I've seen you with your sister, okay? I know how you feel about family and what you'd do to protect her. I only just started to meet my family and today I came really close to losing them all, do you have any idea how that feels?"

Mara shook her head back and forth with a look of empathy in her eyes.

"Well it's not a nice feeling –that's for sure." Hayley sarcastically tossed out before she took a step closer and said, "And it gets worse… Elijah and Rebekah went to the bayou today to save the wolves and they found another pack out there… apparently the descendants of the same pack that Klaus' biological dad belonged to and he didn't even care."

Mara's forehead creased with confusion as she questioned, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I've seen you with him, okay? Trust me, I know he's all charm on the outside… but underneath that he's a monster."

"I know he's not perfect and yeah, some of the stuff I've heard… makes him sound like nothing short of some kind of monster but…" Her voice trailed off as she looked at the pregnant werewolf with a questioning almost hurt look.

"But what?" Hayley pushed confused by her sudden change in attitude.

"Are you trying to scare me away from him because of him or because you have feelings for him or something?"

"What?" Hayley loudly asked, as she stared at Mara like she was crazy. Reaching past her, she turned the water to the sink on to as she said, "Eww! No… eww."

"I mean we're both adults and this is a really messed up situation as it is… so we should be able to talk about it, but I thought it was just a one-night thing and-"

"Mara, stop… please just stop." She pleaded before she rubbed her forehead and sighed, "No, believe me… it was just a one-night thing and I wouldn't even be here if he wasn't pretty much holding me prisoner."

"He's worried about-"

"Don't even say he's worried about the baby and trying to protect us both because he's also holding Davina prisoner so he can use her against the other witches."

"Okay, fine." Mara groaned, "What do you want?"

Motioning down to her swollen stomach, Hayley said, "I know I'm in no position to be giving anyone advice and you don't owe me anything but…"

Her voice trailed off and Mara took the opportunity to cut in as she said, "Thanks, but I've had enough people trying to warn me away from Klaus and I appreciate concern… I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"Fair enough." Hayley nodded, "I'll just skip to the part where you don't owe me anything but I'm going to ask for a favor anyways."

Mara nodded and Hayley explained, "There's a curse placed on my people… they're stuck in their wolf form every single day except for the night of a full moon and even you have to admit that's not fair –it's no way to live and I want to help them –actually I want you and your sister to help me, help them."

Mara's eyes widened, "I don't even know where to begin to unravel a curse of that proportion!"

"I know it's a lot to ask… but can you at least look into it. I'm smart enough to know that every curse has a loophole, I just don't know enough about magic to begin to try and find it and right now… you and your sister are their best shot." Hayley said before her face softened into a look of desperation as she asked, "Please?"

Leaning in closer Mara whispered so quietly that Hayley was barely able to hear her as she said, "I'll see what I can do, but no one can know about it alright? Klaus would kill me if he found out and I'm not making any promises… but if I help it stays between us."

Hayley smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

As she walked towards the door, Mara got to work on turning all of the water off. "You're right, you can take care of yourself… I know, I've seen it but... I mean look around Mara, I'm here because I'm forced to be so is Davina, Marcel and his guys had to swear allegiance to Klaus to stay alive. You're about the only one here by your own choice and freewill and I think you should be careful, because you never know; maybe the day you decide you want to leave will be the day Klaus won't let you."

With that warning hanging in the air, Hayley unlocked the door and left the witch alone in the bathroom. Leaving the washcloth on the side of the sink, Mara left the bathroom too, intending on getting out of the compound and going home for the night. It had been a long day and even though she wasn't denying how she felt for Klaus anymore, it was still unsettling to be warned about the same thing over and over again.

Her sister was clearly scared at seeing her getting closer to the hybrid, Rebekah had even warned her to get out while she could because Klaus ruined everything beautiful he crossed paths with and now the werewolf pregnant with his baby was giving her a similar warning.

"Leaving without a goodbye, love?"

Hearing Klaus' voice she closed her eyes and let out a small sigh before she turned and weakly shrugged, "It's been a really long day, I think I should probably just head home."

"Join me for a drink first?" He asked, and she was going to turn him down until her eyes met with his and she realized he looked broken; the saddest she'd seen him.

Mara didn't know if the news of his real father's pack moving into the area had gotten to him or if there was something else going on that she had no idea about –but either way her own feelings about the situation and exhaustion from the day took a back seat to whatever was going on with Klaus as she nodded and said, "Okay… but you know whatever is going on, you can talk to me about it, right?"

"We should have that drink first." He softly said as he put his hand on her lower back and led her into a room, where he shut the doors behind them and nodded to a couch where she sat down and glanced around the room. She almost jumped as she looked back and saw he was standing in front of her with a glass in his hand.

Strange she thought, that he apparently already had the drinks poured before ever asking her to join him.

"Klaus… what's going on?" She questioned, but when he didn't immediately answer she downed the drink in just a few swallows. Sitting the glass down on the coffee table in front of her, her nose wrinkled at the bitter notes left on her tongue from the contents of her glass.

"What was that?" She asked, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand to get the last traces off her lips.

"Bourbon." He admitted, as he downed a glass himself and added, "Only yours had a little something extra added."

"Like what?" She asked, her stomach starting to turn –not from the drink but from a nervous feeling like things were about to go very wrong.

"An elixir I acquired… to open your mind to being influenced and a few drops of my blood so the compulsion will work." He admitted, his voice quiet as he spoke, like he was already regretting the words before they ever left his tongue.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, her voice shook as she spoke and slowly stood up. Noticing her computer sitting on the desk in the room, she demanded to know, "And why do you have my computer?"

"Because you'll no longer be recording my memoirs, but don't worry , love. There's a brand new computer waiting at your house in its spot… a far better one than you had." He explained as he filled it glass and quickly consumed the contents of it.

Her heart started to race inside of her chest as her mind slowly pieced it all together, but it felt like her thoughts were delayed. He'd done something to open her mind up so he could compel her and from him taking her computer where she'd stored and organized his memoirs she had a pretty good idea that he was going to mess with her memories of him.

"Whatever you're planning on doing… just don't, okay? I'm going to just go home for the night and tomorrow when you're thinking clearly, when we're both thinking clearly we can talk this over." She feebly said as she started for the door but deep down she knew she wasn't leaving the room –not with her thoughts and memories intact at least.

Stopping her just as she reached the door he spun her around and moved them back until her back was against the door and she was pinned, helpless to escape as he lowered his face to hers and kissed her with an equal amount of passion and grief. His lips moved against hers with the need of locking this moment away in his own memories before he'd do what needed to be done.

Finally pulling back just enough to separate their mouths she whispered, "Klaus, please don't do this…"

"I have to." He replied, swallowing hard as his forehead rested against hers, "For your own good."

"No…" She whimpered out against his lips as she tried to struggle out of his grip, "You don't have to. I don't – I can't lose what I know about you… how I feel about you."

"From the time I massacred the human faction –I kept looking to you… just waiting for you to look at me like I'm a monster, just the same everyone else looks at me but you never did."

"Yeah, because I can handle this, okay? Maybe I should be scared and maybe I should have ran the opposite way the first chance I got, but I didn't. Despite everything I know and everything I've seen, I'm still here and I want to know more." She breathed her voice shaking not in fear of him, but in fear that he was really going to alter her memories of him.

"You're looking for answers that you don't want to find, Mara. Monsters are better left as fiction."

"No!" She yelled, still struggling to get away, she wanted to think of some spell to send him across the room to buy her time to escape but her thoughts were lagging and she was doing good to keep up with what he was saying to her, "Don't you do this to me!"

Running a hand down the side of her face he said, "Knowing what you do about this world will only get you killed and I cannot allow that to happen."

"No…" She breathed, as he held onto the sides of her face to hold her head still and lock eyes with her during the struggle. She saw the tears welled up in his eyes and immediately a few slid down her own cheeks with the realization that this was happening, it was clear the idea of it was killing him too but that wasn't stopping him.

"It's time for you to leave this place." He said, starting to use his compulsion on her.

Her chin quivered and her mind went blank for the moments their eyes were glued to one another, the only thoughts in her head were what he was telling her.

"New Orleans, while a beautiful place brought you nothing but pain. Your sister was right, you should have never packed up and moved here –it was a mistake."

"Emmy was right." Mara mumbled back, still locked in the compulsion from him.

Nodding he added, "But you're going to be okay. You're going to leave this place and fearlessly follow every dream you've ever had. You're beautiful and talented… you've got the world in the palm of your hands."

Despite being locked in an almost trance with him, her chin still quivered as some more tears slid down her face like she was fighting what he was doing with everything in her.

A single tear rolled down his own cheek as he continued, "You're going to go home, pack your things and leave with your sister –never regretting leaving this place because there's nothing here for you. You have no reason to stay."

Her breathing picked up speed as she started to pull away from him, but he had to hold onto her head tighter until she let out a small yelp of pain and fearfully stared back at him. Closing his eyes he pulled in a deep breath before opening his eyes and connecting with hers again.

"Forget everything that happened here today, what you know about me and how you feel about me… forget every kindness I have ever shown you. And if by some chance, I should ever cross your mind you will only remember me as the bastard who used you and your powers for his own gain –the depraved monster who you couldn't wait to get away from and refused to help with his wicked schemes, knowing that the only thing anyone ever got for helping me was suffering and death. You're leaving because you deserve far better... you deserve the best and there is nothing here for you. You have no reason to stay."

As he felt the last of the resistance to his influence fade, she whispered, "I have no reason to stay here."

Taking a step back and releasing his grip on her he looked down to the floor with his vision blurred by tears stinging at his eyes in response to what he'd just done and the sound of the door to the room opening.

When he heard her retreating footsteps stop he raised his head to see her paused in the hallway just as she looked over her shoulder back to him.

For a moment he thought maybe the elixir hadn't worked and being a witch had somehow managed to fight against the mind compulsion, but then he saw it, the thing he'd been waiting to see all day –her looking at him like his very existence was a monstrosity.

The look cut deeper and hurt more than a stake through a heart but it was his own doing. An attempt to either free her from the foul, immoral bastard that he was or possibly a way to beat her to the punch because if she knew the things he'd done, she'd leave on her own. If she even knew a fraction of who he really was it would break her into pieces and he couldn't allow that to happen –not to her.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading and adding the story. Special thanks to ****NicoleR85, Guest, geminigurl89, SmellYourScentForMiles and Lexus**** for reviewing last chapter. Don't forget you can follow me on tumblr for story related things. Earlier I posted a video to go along with this story. The name on there is; ****neworleansdarlingwrites. **


	18. Reigning Pain in New Orleans - Part 3

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 18 – Reigning Pain in New Orleans – Part 3**

••• ••• •••

Mara rushed inside the house, ignoring her sister and Kaleb; who were on the couch watching a movie, and went to her bedroom. She ignored her sister calling out her name as she went to the closet and pulled out her suitcase.

Emmalin looked over at Kaleb, a confused look on her face, then told him she would be right back as she stood up from the couch and made her way down the hall to her sister's room. She paused in the doorway, even more confused when she saw her tossing clothes into a bag.

"Mara, what are you doing?" Emmalin questioned.

"Packing." Mara answered, as she glanced over her shoulders for a moment.

"Yeah, I see that, but why?" Emmalin asked, as she walked further into the room. "Where are you going?"

"We're going home." Mara answered with a shrug like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Emmalin breathed out, a shocked look on her face. She glanced around for a moment, before adding,"But, Mar, we are home."

"No, I mean, our real home." Mara explained, as she stopped what she was doing to look at her sister. "We're going home, Emmy."

"Mara, no-"

"New Orleans is beautiful, but it's brought nothing but pain." Mara interrupted. "You were right, Emmy. We made a mistake coming here."

Emmalin shook her head, as she walked closer to the bed, pulling out the clothes Mara had placed in there. "No, Mara, I was wrong. I was just scared to step outside of the box, but now I am glad we are here." She pulled out a few more clothes, as she added,"Yeah some bad has happened, but some good has too. I really feel like this is where we belong."

"There is no reason to stay." Mara argued. "I have no reason to stay."

"What's going on?" Kaleb questioned, as he appeared in the doorway, getting the twin's attention.

"I know you found something to stay for." Mara began to say, as she gestured toward Kaleb. "So if you're worried about that, he can come too."

"No, that's not- I mean, yeah, yeah I don't want to leave him." Emmalin began to say, as she looked over at her boyfriend. It would kill her to leave him behind and that was a big reason, but it wasn't the only reason. Yeah there was bad there that scared the hell out of her, but she was finally starting to feel like they belonged there, their magic has helped and they had family. New Orleans was beginning to feel like home.

When Mara began to put her clothes back into the bag, Emmalin reached out to pull them back out again, as she exclaimed,"Mara! Stop!"

"We have to leave, Emmy." Mara argued, as she put them back in. "We have to leave."

"Mara, what-"

"Emmy, Emmy..." Kaleb interrupted, trying to get his girlfriend's attention. He walked over to her, laying his hand against her stomach and pulled her backwards with him, as he quietly said,"Something is wrong."

"You're telling me." Emmalin said. "She's not acting like herself at all."

"That's cause she's not herself." Kaleb stated, as he watched her continue to pack. He turned his head to the side to look at Emmalin, as he added,"She's been compelled."

"I thought we couldn't be compelled." Emmalin stated, as she looked over at him in shock.

"Usually that is true." Kaleb said. "But there is an elixir, if we ingest it along with the vampire's blood, it opens our mind enough that the vampire can get into it and compel us."

"But who would compel her and why?" Emmalin questioned. They were surrounded by vampires, but why would any of them want her to leave town?

"I don't know." Kaleb said, as he looked over at Mara; who was still putting clothes into a suitcase.

"What are we going to do?" Emmalin questioned.

He turned his head back to look at her, seeing the worried look on her face. He blew out a breath, knowing what he was about to say wouldn't make her feel any better. "We can uncompel her." When he saw her face light up, he shook his head, as he added,"But it won't be pleasant for her. It will be some of the worst pain she has ever felt."

Emmalin looked over at her sister with tears in her eyes, she hated having to hurt her, but what other choice did they have?

Kaleb wrapped an arm around her shoulders, as he asked,"Do you think you can do it? Do you think you can handle seeing her in that much pain?"

"I don't know." Emmalin answered honestly. "But we have to try, right?"

Kaleb nodded his head, before he pulled her toward him to kiss the top of her head. "We're going to get through this, okay? She's going to be okay."

Emmalin sniffed and reached up to wipe the tears from her face, as she nodded her head at his words. She walked over to her sister as she grabbed her hands, asking her to stop and come with her. She led Mara to the edge of the bed and told her to sit down.

Kaleb walked up behind Emmalin, laying his hands on her shoulders, as he told her,"No matter what happens, no matter how much she screams, you have to keep going, okay?"

"Okay." Emmalin whispered out, as she turned around to face him. "I mean, I'll-I'll try."

"We can't just try, Emmy. This could do her more harm than good if we stop mid-way." Kaleb pointed out. "Now I know you can do this, I just need you to believe you can do this." He laid his hands on either side of her neck, as he leaned toward her, before whispering,"You can do this, pretty girl."

"I just don't want to hurt her." Emmalin whispered back.

"I know..." Kaleb said. He glanced over at the girl in question, then looked back at his girlfriend, as he added,"But she is strong and this will help her."

"Okay." Emmalin mumbled, as she nodded her head. She knew he was right, this was something they had to do, no matter how painful it would be.

"Okay?" He questioned, making sure she was ready.

When she nodded her head again, he took one of her hands and placed it on the side of Mara's head, telling her to keep her hand there no matter what. He placed one of his hands on the other side of Mara's head, then held up his other hand, telling her to place hers against his.

Emmalin softly gasp, feeling the power surge through her and feeling herself being engulfed in a warm light, just like any other time they did a spell together. She flinched when Mara let out a short scream.

"Mar?" Emmalin questioned, when she saw her sister squeeze her eyes shut as she breathed through the pain.

"Keep going, love." Kaleb said, knowing they had to keep going, they had only touched the surface of the compulsion.

Emmalin kept her eyes on her sister, feeling tears fill her eyes as she began to shake, the pain becoming unbearable. She tried to wiggle away from them, but the spell kept her in place. She let out a loud blood curdling scream, causingEmmalin to jump in surprise.

"Mara... Mara!" Emmalin yelled trying to get her attention, but all her sister could do was cry out in pain. "Mara, I'm so sorry." She cried out.

"Emmalin!" Kaleb called out, as he pulled on her hand, getting her attention. When her watery eyes met his, he added,"Just look at me, okay? Keep your eyes on me and try to block it out. I know it's hard, but we have to do this, it's the only way to help her."

When she nodded her head, he whispered out,"Just look at me, love."

As Mara screamed out again, begging her sister to stop, Emmalin squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders shaking as a sob escaped. She hated doing this, she hated hearing the pain in her sister's voice as she pleaded with her, but Kaleb was right, it was the only way.

She kept her eyes closed until she finally heard her sister cries subside. She felt someone take her face in their hands, realizing it was Kaleb, as he said,"Shh, it's okay, love. It's okay. It's over."

"What?" Emmalin asked surprised, as she snapped her eyes open, seeing his blue ones staring at her. He kissed her forehead, as he said,"It's finished. We wiped it all away."

"Mara?" she questioned, as she pulled away from him and looked beside her, seeing her sister laid out on the bed now. She sat down beside her, gently picking up her head and placing it in her lap. She brushed her hair aside, as she whispered out her sister's name again, then blew out a relieved sigh when she saw Mara's eyes flutter open.

"Are you okay?" Emmalin questioned her, as she began to run her fingers through her hair; the way their mother use to do to her when she was hurting.

"That hurt like a bitch." Mara croaked out, causing her sister to softly chuckle.

As she began to sit up, Emmalin tried to get her to lay back down, but she said it was alright; she was feeling okay now. She wasn't used to being babied or having someone fuss over her. She was the older sister, she was the one that was supposed to fix things.

After thanking them for what they did, Kaleb asked her what she remembered. He wanted to make sure they actually took it all away. He didn't want any compulsion to be left behind.

"I was... I was at the compound. I talked to Hayley briefly, then I left to come home." Mara began to say. As another memory hit her, she shook her head, as she said,"No, wait, I was going to go home but then Klaus..."

"Klaus what?" Emmalin questioned when she paused.

"He needed to talk to me about something." Mara answered, not wanting to mention that she remembered now that Klaus compelled her. She needed answered from him first before she said anything. She couldn't understand why he would do this to her. Why was he pushing her away and trying to take away everything between them. Was this all a game to him?

"Is that all you remember?" Emmalin asked, as she stood up from the bed. "Do you remember who compelled you?"

"Hey..." Kaleb began to say, as he walked over to his girlfriend, laying his hands on her shoulders. "Let's just give her time. The spell took a lot out of her. I'm sure she'll tell you more tomorrow."

"Okay." Emmalin softly said, as Mara shot him a look, thanking him for stopping all the questions. She was still confused about some things and was not up for an interrogation at the moment.

Mara stood from the bed, grabbed her suitcase of clothes and tossing it on the floor, planning to clean it up later. Right now, she had her own questions to ask, but she knew her sister would pitch a fit if she left, meaning she would have to wait until her sister went to her room and she could sneak away.

"After that whole thing, I just want to sleep." Mara said. She looked over at her sister, seeing how tired she looked, then added,"And I think you should too, Emmy."

"Yes, let us all rest and we can talk more about it in the morning." Kaleb added, agreeing with her.

As he began to lead Emmalin out of the room, he glanced over his shoulder, seeing the determined look on Mara's face and knew bed was the last place she was going. He knew she remembered more than she was saying, but wanted her own answers before she worried her sister. He knew this cause it was something he would do. He would want all the facts and be able to understand something on his own, before he spoke out loud about it.

"I think we should finish that movie, take your mind off of things." He suggested to his girlfriend. He glanced back over at Mara, as he added,"I hope the volume won't keep you up. If so just let us know, we won't be able to hear anything."

Mara smiled, realizing what he meant. He would kept her sister distracted and the volume up to give her a chance to sneak out. She nodded her head at him to thank him, as the couple walked out of her bedroom.

She glanced around for a moment, looking for her cell phone, then scooped it up from the floor before she made her way over to the bedroom door to quietly sneak out. Even if her head was pounding and she felt like she could drop at any moment, there was no way she could rest, not until she got her answers and she would get those answers out of Klaus no matter what.

••• ••• •••

As Mara neared the compound she stopped for a moment and leaned against the pole of a streetlight to stop her surroundings from spinning. How she'd made it from her house to this point was a mystery for her –she was sure she was running on anger and adrenaline alone.

Having her sister and Kaleb undo the mind compulsion from Klaus was the single most painful experience in her entire life. At first all she could feel was the physical pain, which she was positive was comparable to a slow dissection of her brain with a dull butter knife –but when that started to fade she was left with the aching feeling in her chest like her heart had been torn out and all that remained was an empty void.

There was no way she could go to bed after all of that, she needed answers.

Walking into the compound she breezed right past the vampires on watch, knowing none of them would try to stop her and there would be hell to pay if they did, she was a mission –complete tunnel vision to find Klaus; after that she wasn't entirely sure but she planned on making it up as she went along.

Walking up the stairs and straight to his room she waved her hand in front of her and the door opened to reveal him sitting on his bed with the laptop he'd stolen from her open in front of him. Since he'd compelled her to leave NewOrleans, he'd been looking over everything she'd done for his memoirs on her computer.

Klaus looked at her with an unreadable, almost blank expression as he tried to determine why she was there. He didn't know if she'd somehow undone the mind compulsion or if she was mad at him for something else but there was fire in her stare as she looked at him with her mouth open like she was getting ready to yell at him, only no sounds came out.

He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing there but before he could even make a sound she snapped, "Don't!"

His eyebrows raised in both surprise and question at her as he slid off the bed and stood up, "Mara-"

"I said don't!" She repeated, angrily shaking her head back and forth as her fists balled up at her sides and the lights in the room started to flicker, "I was sure the second I saw you that I was going to just blast your ass away in oblivion or something, but I don't have the power right now. Turns out getting your brain unscrambled will do that."

His eyes dropped to the floor with his question answered, now there was no doubt why she was there.

"You really thought that was going to work? Compelling only me and not Emmy?" She angrily asked.

"I was banking on the hope that she'd want out of New Orleans so bad… get you away from me so bad that it wouldn't matter how the idea to leave got in your head, love." He explained when finally given the chance to talk.

There was an honesty in his tone, but truthfully a part of him was wondering if he'd only compelled one sister so there might be a chance Mara would end up coming back to him.

"And believe me, she does want me away from you. She thinks I can do better… especially after you drugged me and messed with my mind!" She snapped, her voice getting louder and tone stronger with every word knowing Emmalindidn't know it was Klaus who'd compelled her but she already knew how her sister felt about him.

Walking closer to her, he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the room as he shut the door behind them wondering if there was anyone in the building she hadn't managed to wake up.

"How could you do this to me?" She yelled, tearing her arm away from his grip.

"I was trying to protect you!" He yelled back at her, but she knew better than to take the defense at face value. Nothing was ever quite what it seemed with him.

"It might have been my brain you screwed with, but this is more about you being scared than you doing some selfless thing to protect me."

"I am not afraid of anything." He told her the same thing she'd heard him say many time before.

"You paid me to sit and listen to your life story… you let someone in past those walls, you let me in. Showed me who you really are and now I don't think you can stand the fact that I'm getting to know the real you." Her voice had dropped back to a suitable tone for them standing in the same room, but her tone was still strong and confident.

"The real me?" He scoffed, as he turned and walked over to the window and looked out into the dark clear night he added, "You don't know the real me… if you even knew a fraction of who I truly was it would break you into pieces."

"Look around… I'm still here, even after what you did I am still here but you're being a coward." She said walking closer as he slowly turned back around to face her, she added, "You know, I came here thinking this had something to do with me –that my sanity, my feelings… that this was all just a game to you or something, but the truth is it's not even really about me. This is about you and somehow in the midst of it all I became some pawn for you to just throwaway."

Making an indiscernible noise she spun on her heels and walked back for the door. It was all too much.

Looking up she gasped when she saw he was now in front of her blocking the exit, his vampire speed was hard enough to get used to in general let alone when her head felt like it was in a vice grip.

He stared back at her his face twisted with emotion. He'd stood there and listened to her vent, not once standing up for himself or ever defending what he'd done past claiming it was to protect her. It was like he felt as if he deserved everything she said and that hurt her to see that someone –something as powerful as he was could be that damaged and broken under the surface.

There was still a ball of rage bouncing around in her rib cage and making every cell in her body feel like it was on fire and all she wanted to do was scream and yell at him even hit him with something to get the point across, to make him feel an ounce of the betrayal she'd felt from him. But she also knew it was needless, betrayal after betrayal was part of the reason he'd turned into the broken person standing in front of her and she remembered the look on his face, the tears in his eyes when he'd compelled her to leave and she knew she didn't need to show him how bad what he'd done had hurt her because he'd hurt himself twice as much.

"Please just get out of my way." She breathed, her eyes lingering on his before she looked away.

He continued to watch her, his heart picking up speed with every moment of silence that passed as it became more and more clear that all she wanted to do was get away from him. The screaming and the yelling he could take, he'd even preferred her using magic against him versus the silence and her determination to leave. That's what he couldn't take. If she yelled at him than that was proof she cared enough that he'd sparked some kind of emotion in her, even if that emotion was rage entirely directed at him.

Slowly he walked towards her, half expecting her to cower away or even try to dart passed him but she didn't as she apathetically asked, "What are you doing?"

"Showing you who I really am." He replied, his voice barely over a whisper as he gently tucked her hair behind her ear and kept his hand on the side of her head, allowing her to see inside of his mind.

He had a thousand years worth of memories he could have chosen to show her; a few of them he knew without a doubt would send her running. But instead he chose to show the moment in his life where he'd never felt more alone, the moment that would forever change him –set him apart from everyone else. The first time that he truly felt he was a monster –a demon in human skin.

Mara gasped in pain as the connection to his mind took root inside of her head, she was still in pain from the spellEmmalin and Kaleb worked to free her mind from Klaus' compulsion and even though the new connection only intensified that pain she didn't fight it or try to pull away. She didn't just want to see what he was going to show her, she needed to see it and so she did. She could see the body of the girl fall to the ground with a gaping wound on her neck then she saw Klaus standing above the body, it was clearly a long time ago though Mara wasn't sure of the exact year.

With the death of the girl came the awakening of something else –the curse that had been passed through blood to Klaus from his biological father; the werewolf gene had been activated with his first kill.

Falling to the ground he screamed out in unimaginable agony as all of the bones in his body started to snap and reset one by one. Mara jumped with every sickening sound of the bones breaking, she saw Elijah trying to run to help him but someone held him back, a man she didn't recognize though it didn't take long for her to realize it was Mikael. Who looked at his son with hatred in his eyes as he exclaimed, "He's a beast."

Tears burned her eyes and she tried to step back from his touch, not able to stomach anymore of the memories she was witnessing but he didn't let go –much like when he'd compelled her his other hand went to the other side of her head to keep her from getting away.

She could see him tied up to a wooden structure, a cross like symbol with Mikael over him tightening the ropes to hold him in place while Klaus screamed out for Elijah to help him –to save him. But when Mikael yelled, "Hold him down! Do it now, boy!" He obeyed and helped his father tie him up, blocking out the sounds as his brother pleaded for him to stop and in that moment Mara could feel everything from painful burning of the ropes on his skin as he tried to break free to the darkest feeling of despair imaginable.

Reaching up she grabbed onto his hands and pulled them from her head as she took a stumbling step backwards nearly falling onto the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself and put her back to him. Her breath rushed in and out of her lungs as she tried to sort out her own feelings from those of the memories she'd witnessed, tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks before she used the sleeve of her jacket to wipe them away.

He swallowed hard as he watched her with her back to him. In his mind she couldn't even look at him after what she'd seen and he wasn't entirely sure why he'd done it. He could hear her pull in a shaky breath as she slowly turned to face him and he prepared himself for what would happen; he was sure of the look she'd have on her face after she saw him for what he really was. Disgust, hatred, fear there were so many emotions he was sure he'd see in her eyes. Several scenarios bounced around in his head; but what happened was something he didn't expect at all –she turned around and walked back up to him and without hesitation wrapped her arms around his midsection and nestled her head against his chest.

She realized what he had shared with her was more than likely an attempt to scare her off, but it was a failed attempt for sure. There was a monster in the memories she'd been given access to but it wasn't Klaus, the only monster she'd seen was Mikael and she was glad he was dead, though death seemed far too kind an end for everything he'd done, at least she knew Klaus didn't have to fear him any longer.

He looked down to Mara as she continued to clutch onto him and he slowly closed his arms around her; knowing that what should have sent her running had now only brought them closer –he'd shared a memory with her that he'd never shown anyone else and what she'd done in those following seconds meant more than she'd ever know.

They stood just like that in silence for several long minutes, both of them realizing exactly how much they needed the other. Even amongst all the pain this world had brought her –she didn't want to go back to the way things were before she'd met him; she didn't ever want to lose the way he made her feel.

All the stories he knew about kings ended with them either losing everything or standing atop the empire they built alone. He'd taken back control of the quarter; in many senses it was his kingdom and he'd gotten what he wanted but he hadn't actually started to feel like he'd won anything until that night.

He'd offered to let Rebekah and Elijah move into the compound in hopes that they could in fact make a home out of it once more and now he had Mara with him too –the surprisingly resilient witch who'd already proved herself worthy of his trust and shown her loyalty time and time again, and now that he'd came around to the idea of being a father to the baby growing in Hayley's womb he was feeling something he wasn't even sure existed anymore –a tiny glimmer of hope. But under that hope, paranoia was rearing its ugly head telling him it wouldn't last.

"I was trying to protect you." He finally said, breaking the silence of the room.

"I don't need to be protected." She said, stepping back and free of his arms as she said, "I just need you to figure out what you want, so that I know what to do. You act like you don't want me here but when I try to leave you literally block the exit and I just-"

Her words were cut short as he took her face in his hands and pressed his mouth to hers silencing her with a kiss. Pulling back he rested his forehead against hers, he kept her face in his hands and rubbed his thumbs over her cheeksthen admitted, "I want you."

She swallowed hard with her breath catching in her throat at not only his words but the look in his eyes when he spoke.

His eyes moved down to her lips before he raised back up and nodded to the door as he said, "I always want you right here with me… but it's your choice, you can leave if you'd like."

"I don't want to leave." She whispered in a shaky tone. It was the truth, in that moment there was nowhere else on earth she'd rather be than there with him but it felt like she was agreeing to a lot more than one night. She was already deeper in this world than she'd ever dreamed of being and she had a feeling if she stayed that there would never be any getting out of it; truthfully she didn't want to.

His heavy gaze locked with hers and she nodded, raising up on her feet and claiming his lips as she ran her hands up his chest and around to the back of his head and neck, he pulled her against him and soon his fingers were tangled in her hair. Their mouths moving hungrily together with hearts racing wildly in their chests; her jacket landed on the floor and soon he'd effortlessly lifted her up and her legs were wrapped around his waist. She moaned out softly into the room when his lips trailed from her lips to her neck and then down to her chest as her shirt ended up on the floor leaving her top half clothed in just a black bra.

When her feet were back on the floor, she grabbed the bottom of his shirt and with a small bit of help from him it was the next article of clothing to litter the floor of his bedroom. His hands rubbed over her partially clothed body, memorizing every single detail to memory. Her skin was quite possible the smoothest surface he'd ever touched, her taste was intoxicating –everything about her haunted him in the best possible way long after she'd leave his sight. She was perfect, in his mind quite possibly the only flaw she had was him.

With articles of clothing scattered on the floor, they moved to his bed with his almost bare body laying above hers. She lightly trailed her fingers over the tattoo on the front of his upper left arm; a large feather that broke apart into birds towards his shoulder and collarbone as she stared up to him. No one had ever made her feel the way he did; the darkest parts of her craved him in ways she couldn't even fully understand.

Aside from all the uncertainty about her world now, she was sure of only a few things –one of those was that she no longer cared what anyone else thought of Klaus or thought of her being with him. She wanted the parts of him that were kind and gentle to her, she wanted the broken and damaged parts that made him more human than most people she'd met and she even wanted the dark and dangerous sides of him that in truth still scared her at times.

There was still a darkness inside of her; a darkness she'd been born with and had spent her entire life trying to run away from but now he was her darkness too –a darkness that she couldn't out run and one that she didn't want to.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - How hot are Mara and Klaus together? I love them! Thank you to everyone reading. Special thanks to ****NicoleR85, SmellYourScentForMiles, geminigurl89, Guest, CaptainTana, ScreamQueenYells andxxxRena**** for reviewing. **


	19. The Casket Girls - Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 19 – The Casket Girls – Part 1**

••• ••• •••

Mara's eyes slowly opened as she looked around the early morning sunlit room, she looked beside her to where Klaus was sleeping on his side facing her. Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered the prior night, that was until she realized it was morning and her sister was probably awake and more than likely extremely worried about her.

Looking back at him one more time, she started to sit up on the side of the bed, but before she could get all the way sat up an arm curled around her and pulled her back so quick she gasped in surprise and looked back at him over her shoulder as he asked, "Trying to sneak away?"

"No." She admitted with a smile as he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder, "I was just trying to figure out where my phone went… my sister is probably-"

"Your sister is probably in bed sleeping." He spoke over her as he readjusted in the bed some and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her in place.

Mara smiled as she leaned back against him and snuggled her face against the pillow they were now sharing, she could feel his breath on the back of her neck and she closed her eyes. She was happy, for the first time in a really long time she felt happy and suddenly the idea of stepping even one foot outside of the bed sounded like the worst idea she'd ever had.

She heard him let out a small groan when the sound of her phone buzzing in her jacket pocket against the floor sounded throughout the room and she realized it wasn't the first time it must have went off and with his vampire hearing it had kept waking him up.

"How long has she been calling?" Mara questioned, her voice slightly muffled from the pillow.

"Going on an hour."

Scooting out from under his arm and turning over to face him she asked with wide eyes, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

His eyes traveled from her messy hair, over her facial features and down to where she was keeping the sheet over her bare chest as he smiled to himself, thinking she'd never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.

"Because I knew you'd leave." He admitted, as he reached a hand out and brushed her disheveled brunette hair from her face and added, "And I was growing quite fond of the idea of having you around."

"And I'm quite fond of the idea of staying here with you, but I have to go home." She argued with him, but couldn't shake the smile from her lips that had seemed to become a permanent fixture that day.

"You could stay." He simply replied, as if it were the answer to all of life's questions.

"I really can't. Emmy's going to be worried sick and probably a little pissed too and…" Her voice trailed off when he raised up and shook his head back and forth, before propping up on his elbow.

"I don't just mean for today. I mean you could stay here… with me."

Raising up on her own elbow her eyebrows lowered as she asked, "You mean like… live here?"

"Mhmm." He hummed watching her closely. Not only would having her around all the time be a plus, but he could better keep an eye on her, keep her safe if she there with him.

Her first thought was to immediately shoot the idea down –that seemed like such a huge step but then she realized it was a big step not just for them but for him to trust her enough to live there and she had to admit the idea was starting to sound more appealing by the minute.

"I… will think about it." She said, smiling against his lips as he leaned over and kissed her.

••• ••• •••

Mara opened the door of the house she shared with her sister and walked inside, so lost in her head that she didn't even notice her sister and Kaleb laying on the couch until she was in the living room with them.

"Mara!" Emmalin exclaimed as she sat up and the movement stirred Kaleb awake as he rubbed his face and scooted to sit up beside her.

Mara stared at her twin sister before her eyes widened and she realized out loud, "Oh my god, it's scary how much you look like mom right now…" She'd seen the exact same expression on her mother's face countless times when she'd been caught sneaking back into the house early in the morning.

"That's not funny." Emmalin complained, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up.

"I wasn't joking." She argued.

Dropping her arms to her sides Emmalin said, "I was scared to death when I realized you weren't here."

"I've been trying to calm her down all morning." Kaleb nodded, as he gave her a look to show he wasn't happy with her either. He'd helped her the night before by making it easy for her to sneak out without worrying her sister but he didn't expect her to stay gone all night.

"I'm sorry." She apologized to them both, "I just needed to talk to Klaus after you guys unscrambled my head-"

"Klaus!" Emmalin gasped, "He's the one who compelled you… isn't he?"

Mara's eyes widened slightly realizing her own slip up, but the situation got worse as Emmalin pieced everything together and asked, "Mar… is that where you were all night?"

When she was met by her sister trying but failing miserably to hide a smile on her lips, she groaned, "Oh no, eww! Mara… no, you didn't…"

"And that's my cue to be… anywhere else but here." Kaleb breathed standing up to leave them alone, the last thing he wanted to do was sit in a room and listen to details of Mara's late night escapades with the original vampire he'd been trying to talk Emmalin out of working for. If he'd known that's where Mara was headed the night before he'd never have helped her.

"No, Kaleb you don't have to go." Mara called out, and he turned around and said, "No, I really do."

"Davina is missing." Mara said cutting his argument off as she sighed, "She found out Agnes is dead and she bailed… we need to try a locator spell or something and I'm still weak from last night so-"

"Oh my god…" Emmalin breathed as she sat back down and put her head in her hands misunderstanding what event of the prior night her sister was referring to.

"I think she means when we reversed the compulsion…" Kaleb said, then his eyes dropped to the floor as he continued, "Or at least I hope that's what she meant… did I mention I need to be going?"

Mara covered her mouth as she tried to hold back a laugh but it slid through her fingers anyways causing her sister to shoot her a serious look before she cracked a smile and let out a laugh of her own. She didn't condone her sisters behavior at all and knowing exactly how involved Mara was with Klaus only made her worry more but she was pretty sure this was the first time she'd seen her smile like that since before their parents were killed.

Kaleb rubbed his hands over his face and muffled his own laughter against his hands before he looked between the sisters and shook his head back and forth.

Once the laughter had died back down Mara said, "Can you guys please try the spell? I know she's probably cloaking herself but it's worth a shot."

Tucking his hands in his pockets Kaleb apologized, "I'm sorry Mara, but I don't work for Klaus."

"No." Emmalin said standing back up from the couch as she walked over to Kaleb and pointed out, "If she fled then Klaus is going to be mad… we don't need to do this spell to find her for Klaus, we need to find her _before_ Klaus does."

"Emmy…" He sighed shaking his head back and forth, it was making him more and more uncomfortable how she was working with vampires now. He knew she thought she was doing the right thing, like when she'd taken off to help Elijah and Rebekah save the werewolves –but it still made him nervous and worried about her.

"This is Klaus we're talking about. I don't think he gets mad… pretty sure he goes from calm to seeing red in like point-five seconds." Mara shrugged as she spoke and Kaleb could see another clear difference between the twin sisters. Emmalin was doing what she thought was right and asking for his help on the matter while Mara was trying to manipulate him into agreeing to help.

Looking back to his girlfriend his blue eyes locked with hers and he knew he didn't stand a chance, he'd do anything for her and if that meant having to work yet another spell that somehow stemmed from whatever Klaus needed, he'd do it.

"I'll help you." He told her as he reached down and took her hand in his, running his thumb lightly over the back of her hand he added, "I'm here for whatever you need and you're right… we should try to find her before Klaus does. If the spell fails I may know a few people to ask… but it's a longshot."

Looking past Emmalin to Mara to asked, "We are doing this to help save a teenage girl from an original hybrid's wrath, right?"

She nodded in response and he looked back to Emmalin as he said, "You gather the candles… I'll grab the map."

••• ••• •••

That evening, the twins walked through the crowd of people who were out cause of the festival going on. They cut down a side street, getting away from some of the crowd and began to walk silently side by side down the sidewalk.

Emmalin and Kaleb couldn't pinpoint Davina's location before, she had herself cloaked like they figured she would. After the failed spell, Kaleb left, saying he knew a small coven of witches outside the quarter. None were involved with the elders or the harvest, but he was hopefully they might have heard something.

Once Kaleb left, the twins tried to do a locator spell again, they still couldn't locate the teen witch, but the spell got them a step closer to knowing her location. They now knew she was somewhere in town, unfortunately they didn't know which building she could be in. They figured they would walk around downtown, redoing the spell every so often to see if they could connect with her, but so far she was still keeping herself good and hidden.

Hearing her cell phone go off, Emmalin came to a stop, pulling her phone out and reading the text she had from Kaleb.

"Is that Kaleb?" Mara questioned, as she came to a stop beside her sister.

"Yeah." Emmalin breathed out. She pocketed the phone, then grabbed her sister's hand, as she added,"And we need to hurry."

"What's wrong?" Mara asked.

"That coven of witches he spoke to told him where Davina is."

"That's good-"

"And they told him the others know where she is and they are on their way." Emmalin interrupted. "We have to get there before them."

Mara shook her head, as she said,"I still can't believe a coven of witches want to kill one of their own."

"I know what you mean." Emmalin quietly said, as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm glad we're not a part of that coven. I don't know if I could do that. I mean, I get it's what they have to do to keep their magic, but she's just a kid. She is only a few years younger than us. There has to be another way."

"They're going to have to find another way." Mara stated. "Cause we're not letting this happen."

Emmalin nodded her head in agreement, as the two sisters ran inside the church, where Davina was. They came to a stop when they saw the young teen and Cami standing near the front of the room. Mara smiled at Cami, giving her a nod in greeting, as she and her sister began to walk toward them.

"Davina, this is-"

"I know who they are." Davina said, interrupting Cami as she went to introduce the twins.

"Hey, Davina, it's nice to meet-"

"You two shouldn't be here." Davina interrupted again as Emmalin tried to speak to her.

"It's okay." Cami said to the young witch. She nodded toward the twins, as she added,"Mara and Emmalin are good people. They can help us."

"No they can't." Davina argued. She cut her eyes to the twins, as she added,"They work for Klaus."

"What?" Cami asked surprised, as she looked over at them. She might not know the twins well, but the times she did talk to them, she knew they were one of the good ones, and couldn't understand how they could work for someone like Klaus.

"That's not entirely true." Mara said. "We have helped him, but that is not why we are here now."

"She's right." Emmalin added. "We are here to help you, Davina."

As Davina shook her head, not believing them, Emmalin tried to take a step closer to her, wanting to explain more, but before she could, Davina threw her hand out, causing an intense pain in Emmalin's head. She cried out in pain, as she grabbed her head and went down to her knees.

"Hey!" Mara yelled out, as she rushed over to her sister. She cut her eyes at Davina, staring her down, as she whispered out a chant over and over again until Davina finally lowered her hand with a cry of her own. She shook her hand, feeling like it was on fire, but she knew it actually wasn't. It was just the spell that Mara did on her.

"We are not here to fight!" Mara exclaimed. "We know what they want to do to you and we don't blame you for running."

"But we are on your side, Davina, we want to help you." Emmalin added, as she winced in pain before standing up to her feet with Mara's help. "Just tell us how we can help you."

"We need to get her out of town." Cami stated.

Emmalin nodded her head, then said,"Not only do we have to escape the witches, but now that the sun is down, all of Marcel's men will be out looking for you."

"Is there any place we can go?" Mara questioned.

As the others shook their heads, Emmalin thought of a place, the abandoned plantation house Kaleb took her to. It would at least get them all out of town until they could come up with a more permanent place to send Davina.

"I know a place." Emmalin said.

"Good." Her sister said back. "I'll see if the coast is clear."

Before she could take a step, Cami's phone began to ring. She quickly answered it, realizing it was Josh. She apologized to him for missing all of his others calls, then put her phone on speaker when he began to say why he was calling.

"Klaus has Tim. He wants Davina to meet him at the compound." They heard Josh explain over the phone.

"Who's Tim?" Mara questioned.

"Does it matter?" Emmalin asked back. "You know how Klaus is, Mar. He's a monster."

"She's right." Josh said over the phone. "If Davina doesn't show, he'll kill him."

Mara folded her arms across her chest, as she gave a short head shake while turning away from the others. She knew Klaus could be monstrous, she had seen that first hand, but she also knew there were other sides to him too. She had seen the human side before.

"We'll think of something." Cami said, seeing how upset Davina was getting. Speaking to Josh, she added,"Make your way to the Quarter. Stay hidden. We'll text you when we have a plan."

As Cami ended the call, Davina took a step to walk away until Emmalin grabbed her arm to stop her, asking her where she was going.

"I have to go." Davina simply said.

"Davina, wait." Cami called out to the young girl.

"I can't let Tim die." Davina said, as a look of determination crossed her face. She was not going to let Klaus hurt him, she couldn't lose Tim. He was a big part of her childhood, he was about the only thing left that made her feel like a regular girl.

"You shouldn't go out there." Mara pointed out.

Emmalin nodded her head, agreeing with her sister, before she added,"We'll come up with a plan. Some way to get Tim away from Klaus, then you and Cami can run away." She looked over at her sister, getting ready to ask her if she could talk to Klaus, since the two were so close now. Even though she didn't approve of the relationship maybe that could be used to their advantage, but before she could ask, they saw a look of panic appear on Davina's face.

"Are you okay?" Mara asked the younger girl.

"What's wrong?" Cami added, as she took a step closer to Davina.

"The witches." Davina stated right before the door shook violently.

Mara took a step closer to her sister, as a few witches walked in chanting. She grabbed her sister's hand, intertwining their fingers, as the twins felt their magics join together, but before they could do anything, Sabine threw her hand out, causing Cami to fall to the floor.

"Cami!" Emmalin called out, as she rushed over to her side and kneeled down beside her. Thankfully she had a pulse, she was just knocked out.

When she heard Davina scream out causing the foundation to tremble as she throw out her hands, causing the witches to levitate in the air.

"Davina, stop!" Mara yelled out.

"You don't want to do this, Davina." Emmalin added, as Cami's head rested in her lap. "They were wrong for what they did, for what they want to do, but you are better than this. Don't do this!"

"Listen to us, Davina." Mara continued. "You don't want to tap into that kind of darkness, trust me!"

"Davina-" Emmalin yelled out, trying to get her attention, but before she could say anything else, the young witch moved her over toward Emmalin as she whispered out a word and caused her to pass out like Cami.

"Hey!" Mara yelled out angrily. She went to run toward her sister until she heard a cracking noise. She spun around and gasped when she saw that Davina had broken the witches' necks and they now laid still on the floor.

"What did you do?" Mara called out in shock.

Davina ignored her, as she began to walked down the aisle to leave, until Mara grabbed her arm to stop her. Davina glanced down, then lifted her head, as she stated,"Let me go! I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you!" Mara snapped back. "Whatever you did to my sister, you are going to fix it!"

"It's just a little sleep spell." Davina explained. "She will wake up soon."

"You will wake her up now!" Mara snarled. "Then we are all leaving here together. We will save Tim, then we will get you out of here, okay? But we are doing it together!"

Davina shook her head, as she said,"I'm sorry."

Mara opened her mouth to speak back, but before she could, Davina laid her finger on Mara's forehead as she whispered out a word, causing the other girl to fall to the floor in a deep sleep like her sister.

"I'm sorry." Davina said again, as she looked down at the sleeping witch. "But I have to do this alone."

••• ••• •••

Mara raised her head with a groan as she looked around, trying to figure out where she was until she realized she was at the church. As the last several minutes came flooding back she remembered the encounter with Davina.

"Emmy!" She called out as she pulled herself to her feet.

"I'm fine." Her sister answered as she sat up herself and rubbed her head, "What happened?"

"Davina turned on us, that's what." Mara gruffly said as she shook her head thinking that though the harvest girl might have been very powerful, going against Klaus was a suicide mission.

"Cami's still out cold." Emmalin said as she scooted back to her and placed her head in her lap lightly tapping her cheek as she called out her name a few times but their new friend didn't respond.

"You need to call Klaus… maybe it's not too late to do something to help Davina and Tim." Emmalin encouraged as she continued to rub her forehead still feeling foggy from the spell that had been used on her.

"And say what, Em? Please don't kill the idiot witch who just knocked my sister and I unconscious to run off on her own because she's got some god complex?"

Emmalin's gaze snapped up where her sister was standing with her arms folded over her chest. Mara hated to lose and being bested by a witch two years younger than her hadn't left her in a good mood at all –especially not when she'd went there intending on helping Davina escape both the witches and Klaus.

"She's sixteen, Mar… they're just kids and maybe Klaus will listen to you."

"He won't." Mara dismissed then glanced towards the side door of the church standing wide open where Davina had fled and admitted, "It was stupid move on her part running off like that."

"Mara!" Emmalin cried out, shocked at her sister's indifference to the situation and what could happen to the young witch. There were times throughout their lives growing up that her sister reacted to situations in such ways that it shocked her but she'd never known her to seem as cold as she did in that moment, as if she honestly didn't care if Davina met some terrible fate or not.

"What, Emmy? She knocked you out, and let me point out that happened after she brought you to your knees in pain. Then she turned on me too… we tried to help her, told her not to run off on her own and that's exactly what she did. You know, if you ask me she deserves-"

"Don't!" Emmalin yelled as she gently moved Cami's head off her lap and stood up walking up to her as she pleaded, "Whatever you were going to say… don't finish it. That's not you… the way you're acting right now it's not you. She's only two years younger than us… she doesn't have anyone, Mara if we didn't have mom and dad looking out for us we could have ended up in a similar situation."

"Right… because that worked out so well for mom and dad." She said, rolling her eyes as she spoke before she processed her own words or realized the effect it would have on her sister.

With a pained gasp, Emmalin stepped back staring at her twin sister in shock.

"Oh my god… Emmy, I'm so-" She started to spill an apology but didn't get the chance as Emmalin swallowed hard and demanded to know, "What has he done to you?"

"What?" Mara questioned, her eyebrows lowering in confusion.

Crossing her arms over her chest Emmalin clarified, "Klaus! What has he done to make you like this?"

"Nothing, Emmy. This is just me, you know I say stupid things when I get mad. I'm sorry."

Emmalin opened her mouth to argue and point out, while her sister had always had a temper, she'd never lash out at her like that. In her mind this new attitude of her sister's had to be because of all the time she'd been spending with Klaus. But she stopped herself when she realized they could argue about her sister's horrible taste in men another day –they had time to do this later, but there was someone else who's time was running out.

"Call Klaus." Emmalin pleaded and Mara felt so guilty for what she'd said to her sister about their parents that she nodded in defeat and pulled her phone from her pocket before blowing out a heavy breath and saying, "I've got missed calls from him…"

Just as she started to call him back her phone rang again and Emmalin's eyebrows raised in question, as if to ask her if it was they hybrid calling again.

"Rebekah?" Mara asked surprised as she put the phone to her ear.

Seeing the look on her sister's face, Emmalin rushed to her side and leaned in, putting her ear near the phone as Mara tilted it away from her ear so they both could listen as Rebekah explained that Klaus had compelled Tim to drink poison and had Davina drink it too. They'd tried everything they could and even vampire blood wasn't healing either of them.

As Mara ended the call she looked to Emmalin, who looked back to Cami and said, "Go, help Davina and Tim… I'll stay here with Cami. We can't just leave her alone like this… she's defenseless and you never know who might show up here looking for Davina."

"Okay." Mara nodded, having a feeling that her sister would rather be alone with Cami's unconscious body than look at her for another minute after what she'd said and how she'd acted, "But if you're staying here you need to be careful Em, like you said anyone could show up looking for Davina."

Emmalin nodded as she sat back down next to Cami's unconscious body, hoping that her sister would be able to help Davina and that Cami would wake up soon.

Mara started to leave through the same exit Davina had taken; she paused in the doorway looking back to where her sister was sitting with a small frown on her lips as she considered maybe the darkness she'd been worried was going to eventually take over was already happening and she hadn't realized it.

Blowing out a heavy breath she walked outside and closed the door behind her before turning and racing off in the direction of what was known as the garden, the place where Marcel had –had the vampires who broke his rules encased in brick against the walls to desiccate for their given sentencing of years –Rebekah told her that's where they were.

••• ••• •••

Mara was out of breath by the time she reached the garden and stumbled down the long hallway until she found Rebekah standing next to Josh, Davina and Tim were laying a few feet away on the ground. Neither of them moving or even breathing.

"Oh my god…" Mara breathed as she came to a stop. She knew it was serious from what she'd been told on the phone but there was a small part of her that didn't fully believe Klaus was going to kill them.

"I got here as quick as I could." She apologized, looking to the two vampires.

"It wouldn't have made a difference." Rebekah admitted, "Luckily for Davina, she'll wake from this… Elijah and Marcel had a protection spell placed on her."

"Yeah, I don't know how lucky she's gonna feel when she finds out Tim isn't waking back up." Josh sighed, a pained look on his face as he stared down to Davina's motionless body.

Stepping forward Mara thought of what her sister told her as she breathed out, "They're just kids…"

"Yes, apparently not worth Nik's time to be dealt with fairly either." Rebekah said as she leaned back against the wall and shook her head, "After a thousand years you'd think I'd be used to my brother's cruel behavior."

Mara stared down to the teenagers as she wondered if she'd ever get used to seeing things like this. If there'd come a day where the unjust death of an innocent person wouldn't affect her. It didn't seem possible that she'd ever become immune to such a thing but there were so many things that were an everyday part of her life now that would have repulsed her years ago.

With a loud gasp Davina sat up, clutching onto her chest as she coughed and fought for another breath. Her first concern then became for Tim as she turned to the side and saw him lying motionless; if she'd woken up from the poison maybe there was a chance he would too.

"Tim! Tim!" She cried with tears pouring down her face as she shook him, "Open your eyes!"

Walking up to her, Mara said, "He's gone, Davina."

"No… No! No, he's… not dead. He's not!" She shouted out in broken sobs and loud gasps for air. Looking up to Mara, she grabbed her hand and said, "You're a witch too, help me. We can save him, we have to do something."

Mara made a small pained noise as Davina pulled her down to the ground beside her and grabbed both her hands, trying to pull from her power for a spell. Only she had no idea what spell to use, all she knew was that she couldn't lose Tim.

Since the night of the reaping her entire world had felt like one endless black night, nothing but darkness and being reunited with Tim had brought her the only light she'd felt in months. She couldn't lose that.

Wind swirled through the garden as Davina's and Mara's magic combined. Mara knew it was pointless, Tim wasn't just dying –he was already dead and he was human. There was nothing they could do to bring him back but seeing the teenager in such a broken state reminded her of Emmalin the night their parents were killed and she didn't have the heart to pull her hands away.

"It's not working!" Davina cried, finally dropping Mara's hands as she wrapped her arms around herself and her entire body shook. Looking up at Mara with complete devastation in her eyes as she sobbed, "Why isn't it working?"

"I'm sorry." Rebekah spoke up when Mara couldn't find her words, "He's gone."

"No!" She shrieked, more tears flooding down her face as she held onto Tim's face and pleaded, "Please, don't leave me alone… you can't leave me."

Mara raised up on her knees and looked over to see Rebekah watching everything with a pained expression and Josh looked equally as hurt but also at a loss of what to do.

"Davina." Mara said, getting her attention as she reached and laid her palm flat against the teenager's forehead. "What are you-" She never got to finish her question as her body went limp before Mara caught her and gently lowered her to the ground.

"Davina!" Josh yelled darting forward, but Mara quickly assured him, "She's only sleeping."

"What do we do now?" He questioned, looking between Rebekah and Mara, the latter shrugged not having a clue what their next step should be.

"You'd do best to stay hidden." Rebekah pointed out to him before pushing off the wall she'd leaned against, then said, "I'm going to take Davina back… get her tucked into bed."

"Back to the compound… back to Klaus?" Mara gasped, as she stepped between Rebekah and Davina's body on the floor.

"What would you have us do?" She retorted.

"That I work up one hell of a cloaking spell for her and we get her out of town tonight. My sister knows a place where-"

"You still don't get it, do you?" The blonde vampire breathed as she cut her off, "All of this happened because she ran. Even if we get her out of town this very second… Nik will find her and when he does we will all be punished. This is what he does. He's cruel and vindictive…"

Walking up to the teenage witch, Rebekah motioned to Tim and Davina as she pointed out, "This is the side of my brother I warned you about. Still think you did the right thing by helping him?"

Mara looked down to the ground; she knew exactly what Rebekah was talking about, she was referring to the day when Mara had helped Klaus fight back against Marcel's army.

"I don't know." Mara whispered as tears stung her eyes and she looked back to the original and admitted in a shaky tone, "I don't think I know right from wrong –not anymore."

"This world will do that." Rebekah empathized as she looked the teenager over and noticed how broken she seemed, "I believe my brother is capable of draining the light from even the brightest star."

Leaning down she gently scooped Davina up in her arms as she nodded to Mara, "Come on, let's get her home… us girls need to stick together."

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading. Also speical thanks to ****NicoleR85, xxxRena, geminigurl89 and CaptainTana**** for taking the time to leave a review. **


	20. The Casket Girls - Part 2

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 20 – The Casket Girls – Part 2**

••• ••• •••

Emmalin wrapped her arms around herself as she walked down the road she lived on. She stayed with Cami at the church until she came to. Not long afterwards, her Uncle Kieran showed up. Cami quickly confronted him, on knowing everything; even about what happened to her brother, but never told her.

Seeing that it was a family matter, Emmalin slipped away, figuring they needed some alone time. She spoke to her sister briefly not long after she left, getting an update on Davina and everything else that happened since she left.

After talking to her sister, she couldn't help but think she wouldn't be surprised if her sister didn't come home for the night, meaning she would be alone, which was something she was never good at it.

Even as a young girl she was not good at being alone. There were times -more times than she wanted to admit, that she had asked Mara to sleep in the bed with her. There were even a few times her mom slept with her. Sometimes she had wondered if that was why her mom made up the fairy stories; it was a way to let her know she was never alone, that someone was always with her.

With her mind a little lost in the past, she continue down the road, thankfully she didn't feel as weak from the sleep spell anymore. When the house came into view, she lifted her head, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Kaleb sitting on the porch steps. Knowing he was there waiting for her, she felt like she was coming home.

"Hey..." Kaleb began to say, as he stood up and took a few steps toward her.

"Hi." Emmalin said back with a smile.

Kaleb smiled back at her as he reached up to touch the side of her face as he asked,"What is that smile for?"

"I'm really getting use to this." Emmalin said.

"Use to what?"

"Coming home to you." Emmalin said, no matter how hard she tried, she could not stop smiling when she was with him. "I love coming home and finding you waiting for me."

"I like waiting for you." Kaleb said, as he laid his hand on the side of her face.

"I could give you a key though." Emmalin suggested. "So you don't always have to wait on the porch."

"I don't mind." Kaleb said with a shrug. "But I won't say no to a key."

Emmalin smiled at his words, then stepped forward to press her lips against his for a tender kiss.

"Let's get you inside." Kaleb said, as he rested his forehead against hers. "Plus I have a surprise for you."

"What?" Emmalin asked, as she pulled back to look at him.

"You'll see." He softly said, as he shot her a wink.

He grabbed her hand then began to lead her toward the house. He grabbed a paper bag he had left on the porch, but wouldn't let her see inside of it as the two made their way inside the house.

He told her to give him a minute as he went into her bedroom to set something up. While he was gone, she pulled out her phone, sending Mara a quick text. Seconds later her sister wrote back saying she wasn't coming home, just like she expected, causing her to let out a heavy sigh.

She had just pocketed her phone, when she heard Kaleb call out to her, asking her to come join him in her room.

A smile appeared on her face as she made her way down the small hall then stepped into her room. She let out a surprised chuckle when she saw what his big surprise was now.

He had bought her a set of twinkling lights and already had them over her bed and plugged in. That wasn't the only light in the room though; he had also set out several candles as well as roses throughout the room, giving the room a soft glow and a pleasant floral scent.

Emmalin didn't say anything as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his for a passionate kiss. No one had ever done something like this for her before. Things like this is what was making her fall so hard and so fast for him.

She felt him lay a hand on the back of her head, then raise his other hand above them to drop something. She pulled back with a laugh when she realized it was glitter he had dropped to rain down on them.

He smiled at her as he held out a hand, causing the glitter to levitate from the floor and float around them.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a giggle.

"It wasn't me, it was the fairies." He said, with an innocent shrug. He leaned forward, before he whispered,"I think they are still with us."

She laughed at his comment before she closed the gap and gave him a sweet kiss. "You're amazing, you know that, right?"

"This is just a side you bring out in me, pretty girl." Kaleb admitted. "I've never felt this overwhelming need before to take care of someone or protect someone..." He laid his hands on either side of her neck, as he softly added,"To care for someone so completely. You bring this new side out of me, you make me better, and I like that."

"I like it too." Emmalin quietly said back. She smiled as she added,"And I love that you did this for me. You didn't have to, but I love it."

"I knew with everything going on -everything with Davina, the witches and Klaus, that you would be down and I hate seeing my pretty girl down." Kaleb explained. "I know it's not much, but I just wanted to see that smile."

"It's everything." Emmalin whispered, as she flashed him that smile he loved so. "Thank you." She stepped forward to hug him, as she added,"And thank you for earlier. I know you don't want any part of this and, truthfully, I don't want you to have any part of it either, but thank you for helping when we needed it."

"You're welcome, love." Kaleb said, as he held her tightly against him. He pulled back, then brushed the hair from her face, as he added,"I'll do anything for you, Emmalin. I mean it."

"Thank you." She mouthed before giving him another kiss. She blew out a breath, as she added,"But I hope I never have to involve you again."

He laid his hands on either side of her face, looking her in the eyes, as he said,"Well if you do, I'm right here, pretty girl. I'll always be right here."

"You promise?" She softly asked, as she laid her hands on his chest and looked up at him.

"With my life." He answered before pressing his lips against her, while the glitter continued to hang in the air around them. He was honest before, as long as he was living, there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Somehow he would always be there for her, just like her mother always said the fairies were.

••• ••• •••

"You're awake." Mara said as she walked into the room at the compound that Marcel had picked out for Davina, to see the teenager sitting up on her bed amidst the crumpled, tear soaked contents of what looked to be at least four boxes of tissues.

"You used a sleep spell on me." She stated flatly as she looked up at her with red, raw eyes.

"Well, in my defense you did use one on my twin sister and me. Plus, I'm pretty sure it was the only way to get you away from Tim."

"You mean Tim's _body_." She corrected, feeling tears well up in her eyes again as she said out loud, "His dead body."

With a frown Mara walked over to her as she handed her a small paper bag and a coffee cup with a lid as she said, "I brought you something."

"What is it?" She demanded to know as she raised the cup to her nose and sniffed it.

"White chocolate –hot chocolate." Mara admitted with a smile as she sat down on the bed with her and added, "It always seems to do the trick for my sister… she's always raving about the white chocolate muffins from there too but they were sold out so I got you a caramel brownie instead. You need to eat something."

Davina's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she opened the bag and looked in to see what Mara was talking about. Slowly, she brought the cup to her lips and took a small sip before pointing out, "You're being nice to me."

"I'm not your enemy, Davina. Believe it or not I really was trying to help you today."

Setting the bag down on the table next to her bed and holding onto the warm cup with both hands she said, "I don't know who to trust. I thought I could trust Marcel… but he lied to me, he was just using me as a weapon against the witches. He didn't even tell me Agnes was dead."

"Yeah? Well, Marcel's done some pretty stupid things." Mara agreed nodding as she thought back to when he'd kidnapped her, "But I do think, when it comes to you, at least he tries to do the right thing."

"Maybe… maybe not." She breathed as she took another drink and looked around the room and said, "I don't want to be here… I don't want any of this. I just want to be normal."

"Now you really sound like Emmy."

"She didn't want to be a witch either?"

"No, she wanted no part of it." Mara admitted to her.

"But you did?"

"I don't know that I wanted it as much as when I found out I was a witch, it made sense why I'd always felt so different. Then I couldn't learn enough about this world… I finally had time to finish going through the grimoire." Mara explained.

Davina started to take another drink but stopped as she asked, "Wait, what? When did you find out you were a witch?"

"When I turned eighteen. Our parents wanted us to be old enough to decide the kind of life we wanted; normal or not-so-normal." She spoke as she held her hands up to act as scales as if she were weighing the pros and cons of both options.

"You're lucky. I never got a choice about it… my own mother stood right there when the elders were going to slit my throat for the harvest." Pulling in a shaky breath, she winced as her sides ached from all the crying, "Tim was innocent in all of this… I should have just stayed away from him and he'd be alive right now."

Swallowing hard Mara asked, "You loved him, didn't you?"

A few tears ran down the teenager's already raw cheeks as she sat the cup down and rubbed the water from her cheeks and said, "This is the worst feeling in the world."

"I know."

"Did you have to watch someone you love die?" Davina asked, her tone was bitter and much colder than she'd mean for it to be.

"Yeah, I did."

Quickly she said, "I'm sorry… you lost your parent's right?" Tears welled up in her eyes again, knowing it wasn't Mara's fault that Tim was dead. She'd been one of the first people to be nice to her without wanting something in return and she was snapping at her; she didn't know how to handle the storm of emotions inside of her.

"I did lose my parents, but I wasn't talking about them." She clarified as she stared down for a moment when Davina asked, "Who, then?"

She got the feeling that more than really wanting to know the story, she just wanted a distraction from her own pain. Something else to think about –even if only for a moment.

"You really want to know?" Mara softly asked and waited until Davina nodded before she kicked he shoes off and pulled her socked feet up in the bed as she tucked them underneath her and turned to completely face her.

"His name was Brandon." Mara answered, pausing for a moment before she recalled with a sad smile, "He had this perfect messy dark brown hair and these green eyes I could get lost in for days. He was on the football team at our high school, he was so good he actually got an athletic scholarship. He was just… amazing, he was so nice and even on my worst days he could make me laugh."

A smile spread over Davina's lips as she listened and agreed, "He sounds great."

"He was." Mara nodded and the smile from the teenager's lips fell when she realized where the story was headed.

Looking down Mara fidgeted with a loose thread at the unbuttoned wrist cuffs of her leather jacket as she continued to tell her the story, "See, growing up I was always struggling trying to find myself… find stuff that was mine and mine alone. For years our mom dressed me and Emmy the same and I always felt like she did that kind of stuff cause she wanted some carbon copy of my sister. So as I got older, I started doing everything the exact opposite of Emmalin and when we got into high school I started hanging out with some people my sister wouldn't have ever had anything to do with. For good reason too, they were this really rough crowd..."

Davina readjusted on the bed as she listened to the story more intently than before, wondering what it would have been like to make a normal mistake in high school like getting mixed up with the wrong crowd. She'd never even really had a chance to make mistakes like that, instead at sixteen, she had a coven of witches wanting to murder her for some ancient ritual.

"I was actually your age, I was sixteen when I got mixed up in the worst of it and I pulled away from everyone. I pretty much stopped talking to my parents all together, I spent less and less time around my sister… I even ended things with Brandon solely because my parents adored him and for some reason I was hell-bent on making everyone around me miserable even though all I really did was hurt myself in the process."

"What happened?" Davina questioned with a knot in her stomach growing with every passing second that Mara stayed silent.

"My group of so-called friends came up with this stupid idea to rob this all night gas station just outside of the town we lived in. Long story short –one of them had a gun on them and the clerk got shot… I was out in the car in the whole time, I don't even know who pulled the trigger. All I know is that afterwards we were all panicking, scared to death we were going to get caught and go to jail. Only, I was afraid they were going to pin the whole thing on me because I was the newbie in the group. I only had one person to turn to after that –Brandon, even after everything I'd done I knew he'd be there for me… so I asked him to lie if the cops showed up. To be my alibi for that night and at first he agreed but his own conscience got the best of him and a few weeks later he decided the best thing to do was for us both to go to the police and tell them everything, he thought because I'd been in the car the whole time that I'd be able to make some deal or something." Mara blew out a heavy breath as she shook her head and quietly added, "He always had more faith in people than I did."

The room fell quiet again and this time Davina didn't have the heart to ask what happened next.

Mara cleared her throat before she said, "We were in the car when he told me about the plan he had, he was driving and I was in the passenger seat on the verge of a panic attack… everything just… it happened so fast I can't even remember the details, all I know is one minute we were arguing over what I needed to do and the next… the car was flying off the side of the road, it rolled over again and again until we landed upside down. There was broken glass everywhere and both the radio and the horn were so loud I thought I was going to go deaf but somehow through all of that noise I could hear him… gurgling on his own blood. I somehow got out of my seatbelt and I tried to help him but it was too late… he died right there beside me."

Breaking eye contact, Mara glanced back down as she resumed tugging on the loose thread of her jacket trying to get the images out of her head.

"You were hit by another car?"

"No." Mara shook her head, "I killed him."

"But it was a car wreck… it was-" Davina started to argue.

"It was me not being able to control my magic because I didn't even know I had it. I didn't know how exactly, but I always knew it was my fault… that he was dead because of me and my parents never looked me at the same way. They knew it too… that it was my fault."

Tears rolled down Davina's cheeks at the ending of Mara's story and being haunted by the memories of Tim's dead body as she wiped her cheeks and questioned, "How long did it take before it stopped hurting so bad?"

"It still hurts." Mara admitted to her, closing her eyes as Davina started to break down even more, she offered, "It's always going to hurt… I don't think it ever really goes away, I just think you get used to missing him, to not having that person around anymore. But… you will fall in love again someday. Probably when you least expect it… but then you won't feel so alone anymore."

Raising her head, Davina's red eyes locked with Mara's as she asked, "Did you? Did you fall in love again?"

Mara bit down on the inside of her cheek before she blew out a heavy sigh and with her voice not over a whisper she nodded, "Yeah, I did."

Standing up she slid her feet back into her shoes as she gave a sad smile and said, "I think that's enough bedtime stories for one night. You should eat… and get some sleep."

"I should have listened to you and your sister earlier. If I'd listened then maybe Tim wouldn't be dead… now he's gone and it's all my fault."

"No it isn't. His death isn't on you. You can blame anyone else you want for his death… blame Klaus, you can even blame me but don't for one second think it's your fault. Davina, you should have listened to us… but you did nothing wrong and I'm not so sure Tim even stood a chance if we'd all left that church together." Mara said, her eyes serious as she looked to the girl who was just a few years younger than her.

Pausing just inside of the doorway, Mara turned back to her as she said, "I know you don't want to be a witch but you don't have a choice and my parent's death is proof that even if you try to put that behind you, this world will still catch up to you. I know you feel like giving up right now and I don't blame you… but you just can't, you have to keep fighting."

"Why?" She muttered under her breath as she picked up and already crumpled tissue and blew her nose before falling down onto her side and closing her eyes, wishing the pain she was feeling would stop even if just for a moment of relief.

"Haven't you read the books or seen the movies?" Mara asked, and when the teenager opened her eyes and shot her a confused look, Mara raised her eyebrows as she said, "When witches don't fight… they burn."

"You're nothing like what I thought you'd be… you're supposed to be the bad twin, right? The dark one?" She asked, her words a little slurred from the complete exhaustion of the day was finally starting to set in and trump even the grief she was in.

"Guilty." She answered.

"I don't see it." Davina admitted as she pulled the blanket up to her chin and sniffled a little, but kept her burning eyes closed hoping sleep would provide some sort of release from the pain, but she had a feeling her dreams would only turn to nightmares as the night went on.

"I like you." Mara stated before she ran her tongue over her bottom lip and added, "And I'm not your enemy but don't mistake my kindness for weakness… if you ever use your magic against my sister or me again, you'll see more of that darkness than you ever want to."

Reaching out Mara shut the light off to her room before slowly pulling the door shut behind her as she turned to leave.

She was making her way down the hallway towards the stairs when she heard Klaus say from behind her, "Leaving so early love?"

Stopping; she hesitated before she turned around and nodded, "Yeah, I'm going home… to my sister. Goodnight, Klaus."

But as she started to take another step he called after her, "The stench of your judgment is overwhelming… even from this distance."

She stared at him as he walked closer, coming to a stop just in front of her as he asked, "What's the matter? Finally seeing I'm exactly as bad as the stories you heard?"

"If you were truly the monster that you want everyone to believe you are, then you wouldn't be feeling guilty for what you did tonight."

"Guilt is for the weak." He replied nonchalantly, causing Mara to slowly shake her head back and forth as she pointed out, "You screwed up and you know it… you don't need me to spell that out for you."

"I did what I had to do. There is no fair dealing with those who threaten us; Davina sealed her own fate when she stood against me."

Pulling in a deep breath she exclaimed, "And what, you think just because I've helped you with your diabolical plans before that I'll just turn a blind eye to every bad thing you do?"

"It is because you have helped me -that I would shield you and your sister from harm." He pointed out with raised eyebrows.

Crossing her arms over her chest she stubbornly avoided his eyes as she angrily shook her head back and forth. Taking a step closer he continued, "And it is because I don't expect you to turn a blind eye –that I'm not viewing your trying to aid Davina earlier tonight as a direct betrayal to me." When she looked up at him with her eyebrows lowered in confused he tilted his head to the side as he pointed out, "Because as you know, I can be especially unforgiving and malicious when feeling betrayed."

Her gaze dropped to the floor as she blew out a heavy sigh, apparently even being as close to him and as involved with him as she'd gotten, still didn't spare her from being reminded of how dangerous he could be when provoked and his knowing that also meant he'd been listening in on her talk with Davina.

"And what Klaus? It's because you've grown fond of me that you graciously spare my life while you kill all these witches around me without blinking or stopping for a moment to think it over? First Katie's life was taken as a distraction and now you've nearly killed Davina for just wanting to be free? Is that what sets me apart from all the other witches; because you like me?"

When he raised his head and looked at her from under his eyebrows and his only response was to question her word choice as he asked, "Like?"

She turned around and had made it a few steps away before he said something so quietly that she just barely heard him, but what he said stopped her in her tracks.

"It's because I love you that I hold your life with such high value, that I would do anything at all to protect you –up to and including killing anyone else as a mere distraction if that's what it takes to keep you safe or ordering the death of a teenage girl who holds the power of three other harvest witches inside of her because she threatened my family, and in doing so indirectly threatened you."

Turning around she saw he was right in front of her now. Her heart started to race inside of her chest and the expression on her face landed somewhere between anger and sadness, like his words had psychically put a heavy weight on her chest.

"Did you just admit that you're in love with me?" She whispered back to him, only her question sounded more like an accusation and her expression turned more to a look of anger.

"You already knew." He stated as he reached out and brushed the hair from her face before leaning down and claiming her lips in a heated kiss. In response her arms that had been tightly crossed over her chest in anger dropped to her sides in defeat before she raised her arms and pushed him back as she angrily said, "Maybe I did… maybe I didn't, I don't know. But there's a reason you waited till right now to tell me."

Inside she wasn't sure how to feel. She'd known for a while, despite trying to deny it to herself that she was falling in love with him and maybe hearing he was in love with her should have made her happy. Truthfully, even if her face and actions didn't show it, she was happy, but his love wasn't an easy thing to have placed upon her.

It carried the weight of an invisible prison cell with it and she knew he'd chosen that exact moment to tell her because he knew she was about to walk out and he didn't want to let her go, but he wasn't the type to just say he wanted her to stay either.

His love; just like most things about him was dark and complicated, possibly at times even dangerous. His admission of how he felt also gave her a degree of power over him –the power to hurt him in ways only someone you love can hurt you.

He wasn't going to change –not that she wanted him too and it was because she loved him back that she knew she couldn't have one foot in and one foot out. Loving him meant accepting him even the broken, damaged pieces and she couldn't love him for all that he was only to turn around and leave when he did something she didn't agree with.

Her mouth was dry as she tried to figure out what to say back to him; before she could make up her mind her phone went off from her pocket and she saw it was a text from Emmalin checking on her to make sure she was okay.

When she turned her full attention into replying to her sister and letting her know she was alright, Klaus turned around and silently started to walk away from her.

"Klaus!" She called out as she hurriedly finished her text by letting her sister know she wouldn't be home that night she tucked her phone back into her pocket as she walked towards him when he turned around, picking up speed with every step she took until she was almost in a run as she jumped up, her arms wrapping around the back of his head and neck with her legs curled around his waist as he lifted her up.

Her mouth found his; their lips moving hungrily together –both of them tired of being alone, needing the other in place of the pain and loneliness they felt on their own.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Love; did you hear that people? Klaus is in love, haha. Great couple moments, and how sad was Mara's story about her ex Brandon? Thank you to everyone reading. Also special thanks to ****NicoleR85,CaptainTana, geminigurl89, Guest, Onceuponatime78 and Utah1997**** for reviewing. **


	21. Après Moi, Le Déluge - Part 1

**Dark Paradise**

**Chapter 21 – Après Moi, Le Déluge – Part 1**

••• ••• •••

Hayley smiled and nodded in thanks as Mara walked into the living room and handed her a glass of water, while the three of them all looked at Davina's drawings which were placed on the coffee table revealing the dark force she'd been sensing for months. An evil, impending doom that had haunted the young witch –only she'd been drawing a picture of Celeste; a witch who had been dead for a very long time and who also happened to have been involved with Elijah before her untimely end.

"Witches…" Hayley breathed shaking her head back and forth as she took a drink from her cup of water.

"The Italians call them Strega, the Yoruba of West Africa call them Aje –meaning mother. Where my mother was from they called them hexa; here we call them witch. Over the centuries vampires have fought them and fought beside them, bedded and burned them. Whether adversary or ally they have been a force to be reckoned with. Here in the New Orleans… their ancestral magic anchors the city. There's never been one all-powerful witch until Davina." Elijah gathered his thoughts out loud as he continued to stare down to the drawings.

"Who is now tucked in, safe and sound down the hall-" Klaus' words were immediately cut short as he dropped to the floor with a groan of pain clutching onto his head before Mara gasped and broke the concentration on the defense spell.

Rushing to his side, she spilled apology after apology as she helped him to his feet and he shot her angry look.

"I'm sorry!" She repeated, rubbing her forehead as she breathed, "I'm so sorry."

"What's going on?" Elijah questioned, looking between the young witch and his brother.

"Oh, you haven't heard?" Klaus replied as he walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink he explained, "Apparently Davina isn't the only witch who believes something bad is headed for us."

As he raised the glass of alcohol to his lips, he pointed at Mara with the other hand and stated, "That's the second time today you've bested me. I much prefer seeing that power used against my enemies."

"Then stop sneaking up on me!" She exclaimed shaking her head back and forth as she held her hands down at her sides, constantly moving her fingers and not quite able to hold still.

Everyone's attention was drawn over to Hayley as the werewolf started laughing and nearly choked on her drink of water. As she scooted forward in her seat still sputtering from the breath of liquid she'd inhaled she nodded remembering what had happened earlier that morning as she recalled out loud, "She almost sent him through a wall!"

Mara and Klaus both shot her matching unamused expressions which only made her laugh more before she cleared her throat and gave Mara a serious expression as she added, "But seriously… don't just come in to my room at night and sit in the chair while I'm sleeping… it's creepy. You about gave me a heart attack."

"I was just trying to make sure you were alright!" Mara defended, "I swear, it's like everyone is out to get you and I just woke up last night with this feeling like something bad was going to happen so I went to check on you." Jutting a thumb over in Klaus' direction she continued, "And then he snuck up on me."

Abruptly stopping with the glass in his hand almost to his lips he argued, "I was not slinking about the house; I wasn't sneaking up on anyone… I simply walked into the room."

Mara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest; all morning Klaus had been all but poking fun at her for being on edge. But something was wrong, she could feel it in the air and apparently it was something his hybrid senses weren't keen to and he wasn't taking her seriously.

Elijah looked around the room, he was also feeling a change in the air –only not the same kind. Hayley was as safe as she could possibly be in the compound with not just him and his siblings, but a powerful witch who'd laid her life on the line for the pregnant werewolf a number of times.

And now despite everything that was happening; all of the danger they faced –Hayley was smiling and laughing, given it was at Mara's expense, but it was a look he hadn't seen on her much. His brother had more than surprised him with the way he'd come around to the idea of being a father and wanting a home to raise his child in. Not to mention, he'd also seen the change in Klaus with the more Mara was around. Despite all of the danger in their current situation; he was also well aware of the good changes that had come to be along the way.

Mara's eyes fell back to the drawings as she quietly realized, "Wow… she was really beautiful."

"And a portent of evil according to our volatile artist in residence." Klaus said as he stepped beside Mara and looked down the drawings as well.

"Yes." Elijah sighed, "Perhaps Davina's mistaken what she calls evil for power. Celeste was certainly very powerful in her day."

"Yeah, but that was hundreds of years ago, right?" Mara asked.

"Two hundred years ago." He nodded looking at her before he shook his head and admitted, "I don't understand why all these sketches now?"

Eyeing Mara, Klaus brushed against her as he walked over to the couch and sat down. He smirked at her and shrugged, "Why do witches do anything?"

Moments later the sounds of glass breaking and what sounded like a body being thrown against the wall echoed from the side of the house Davina's room was on. They were all aware that Marcel had been trying to make peace with her –but the teenage witch was having no part of it.

"That's going well." Klaus remarked as he sat his glass down on the table next to the drawings.

"Yes, well if you were trying to win the girls trust perhaps poisoning her one, true love wasn't the most splendid idea." Elijah pointed out causing Hayley to lower her head and stifle a laugh.

Nodding Mara agreed, "Yeah, that was definitely the worst way to go about it."

"Oh, are there anymore inopportune deaths you'd like to wave in my face?" Klaus asked motioning with his hands in front of him as he spoke.

"Give me a month… I'll make you a list." Elijah replied without missing a beat, his words even earning a small laugh from Klaus –that was until more sounds of glass shattering rang throughout the large house.

Leaning forward in his seat Klaus said, "Young, old, dead or alive… witches are a pain in the ass." He finished his sentence with reaching for his still half-full glass, but just before he could grab it, the glass moved on its own just out of his reach.

He turned his head and looked to Mara who stared back at him with raised eyebrows letting him know she didn't appreciate the comment.

He opened his mouth to say something but before he could there were more sounds of glass breaking, he and Mara both looked to the ceiling before she turned and headed for the stairs with Klaus right behind her.

As they reached the witch's room and went inside Klaus angrily asked, "What is with the racket?"

"Davina!" Marcel yelled with a helpless expression as she coughed and coughed again until dirt finally started to spew from her mouth and all over the light colored bed spread.

"Bloody hell…" Klaus breathed as he walked up to the end of the bed and watched her continue to cough as more dirt poured from her open mouth.

Mara stood a few steps behind Klaus with a shocked expression on her face, she'd never seen anything like that before in her life. "Davina?" She questioned, but the teenagers coughing fit only increased and with it the entire compound started to rattle.

Lamps fell from tables, books flew off their shelves and artwork formerly lining the walls came crashing down to the floor. Marcel looked around confused and grabbed a lamp on the bedside table to try and steady it during the rumble.

"Is this… is this an earthquake?" Mara asked, here eyebrows lowered in confusion as she spoke.

Walking past her out of the room Klaus stood on the interior balcony over looking the open space on the first floor. The vampires were all standing around as the contents from the tabletops was jarred off onto the floor.

"What the hell is going on?" Rebekah called out as she walked out to the middle of the floor and looked up to Klaus as Mara joined him at his side and looked around.

"Davina…" Klaus muttered the answer to his sister's question under his breath as he shook his head thinking she was doing this in protest of the prior days events.

"I don't think she's doing this on purpose." Mara admitted turning to face him as she said, "That feeling I've had today… the closer I'm standing to Davina the stronger it is. The power radiating off of her is so strong I can see the energy in the air around her, but it's not like it was before with her… it's out of control, it's chaos."

His eyes locked with hers and realized she had –had every right to be on edge and jumping like she'd been doing since late the night before. Being in the same house as Davina she could feel the shift the air –in ways that non-witches couldn't.

Mara let out a gasp of surprise as Klaus quickly grabbed her and pulled her back against the wall right outside of Davina's room, before she could even ask why he'd done that, a large, decorative station fell on its side crumbling into pieces in the exact spot she'd been standing before he moved her.

Blowing out a heavy sigh, she leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes trying to catch her breath after the scare. Only opening them when she felt an arm slide around her waist and looked over to see it was Klaus as he stood protectively beside her, ready to move her out of danger if the earthquake continued to almost bring the compound down around them.

After it finally stopped, Klaus went back in the room to see about Davina. He wasn't entirely convinced she'd wasn't doing this on purpose and Mara took her phone out. Wanting her sister there for more than one reason. On one hand, if Davina was acting out maybe her sister could get her calmed down and if it really was out of her control Mara felt like Emmalin might be able to help keep her calm.

••• ••• •••

Feeling the sun on her face, Emmalin scrunched up her face and let out a whiny groan. When she heard a chuckle from beside her, she cracked an eye open and saw Kaleb lovingly watching her. He brushed some hair out of her face, as he quietly said,"Wake up, pretty girl."

"No." She whined, her voice groggy with sleep, as she snapped her eyes closed and pulled the comforter over her head, causing him to laugh again.

"Yes." He argued, as he pulled the comforter down. He hovered over her, laying a hand on the side of her face, as he said,"Besides you should never hide that pretty face, love."

Emmalin smiled at him as he leaned down to press his lips against hers for a gentle kiss. He pulled back a moment to look at her, then chuckled when he saw specks of glitter on her face and in her hair.

"What are you laughing at?" She questioned with an amused expression on her face. She loved seeing him like this; laughing, smiling and carefree. She knew he worried when she worked a spell for Klaus, it's not that she wanted to, but he didn't make it easy to say no. Plus she couldn't just leave her sister alone to deal with the monstrous hybrid.

She hated how her boyfriend worried though, she hated seeing that look on his face, but in these moments that look was gone and all she could see was how much he cares for her. It made her feel a way she has never felt before.

"You are covered in glitter." Kaleb answered with a chuckle. He brushed a few pieces from her hair, then glanced around for a moment, before leaning toward her and whispered,"I think the lights worked. Your fairies visited last night."

Emmalin laughed out, then playfully pushed his shoulder, as she said,"That was not fairies, goof, that was you. You are the one who poured glitter everywhere."

He laughed along with her, as he raised his hand, causing the glitter on the bed and the floor to levitate. He gave an innocent shrug, as he stated,"You can't prove that."

She shook her head at his comment, a chuckle escaping her lips, as she laid her hands on either side of his neck and pulled him toward her, as her lips crashed against his.

As she thought about what he did for her the night before, she couldn't help but fall more for him. It had been awhile since she even thought about the whole fairy thing, and even though it was painful thinking of it now, it was nice losing herself in those memories for the moment. It was nice to remember a more simple time, to remember her mother. She even loved the fact that he asked about her past. He wanted to know about those memories, he wanted to hear all of her stories.

As the two continue to kiss, she ran a hand down his back, slipping it under his shirt and running her hand over his bare back. Feeling the skin on skin contact just made her want more. It made her want to do something she had never done before.

She had some heated make-out sessions before, but never went all the way, but with Kaleb she wanted it all. She wanted his mind, his soul and his body.

Feeling her run her fingernails across his back, he let out a groan before forcing himself to pull back and break the kiss. It's not that he didn't want her, since laying eyes on her all he wanted was every part of her, but he didn't want to rush things between them.

He wasn't a virgin, he had been with a few girls through the years, but what he has with Emmalin was more than just physical. With her he was still experiencing a first, he was falling in love for the first time and cause of that he wanted to take it slow with her. He didn't feel the need to rush into the bed with her, he just wanted be around her. He wanted to know everything about her and feel that connection between them bringing them closer and closer. He didn't want her for a few blissful hours, he wanted her for life.

"We should get out of this bed." Kaleb suggested, even though it pained him to say. He wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with her all day, doing things to her that he has been imagining since the beginning, but that would come later.

"Or we can stay in bed." Emmalin mumbled, before pressing her lips against his and pulling him closer to her.

"Mm, no. No, I think we should get a start to the day." Kaleb said back, forcing himself to break the kiss again. The longer he was against her, the more she was kissed him, the harder it was to stop things. With their connection every touch set his body on fire. He couldn't get enough and was close to forgetting his original thoughts.

He laid a hand on the side of her face, running his thumb over her bottom lip, as he added,"We should grab some food, take a shower..." When she moved her head to the side to kiss the inside of his wrist, causing goosebumps where her lips landed, he continued,"A cold shower."

"Or we can-"

"No." Kaleb said, interrupting her. He had a good feeling he knew what she was going to suggest and if she actually said they should shower together, he would not have been able to say no.

"Okay, yeah, that's fine." Emmalin softly said, as she gently pushed him back to sit up in bed. She was trying not to feel rejected, but couldn't help but feel that way. She knew how he felt about her, or at least she had a good feeling of how he felt. It was like she could feel how he felt when they were together, but she couldn't understand why he didn't want to go that far with her. Was there something wrong with her?

"Hey, love, look at me..." He began to say, as he lightly grabbed her chin, turning her to face him. He saw the look on her face and didn't want her to get the wrong idea. As if reading her mind, he said,"There's nothing wrong with you- trust me, all I want is you, but I don't want to rush this. I don't want to rush your first time."

"How did you-" She began to ask, wondering how he knew. She had never told him.

"I knew." He said, as he gave her a smile. He leaned forward to softly kiss her lips, then rubbed his nose against hers, as he added,"And I want that moment with you, but now is not the time. When the time is right, we'll know."

"You are almost too good to be true." Emmalin said, as she pulled back to smile at him. "You really are my Prince Charming."

"I told you, you bring out that part." Kaleb said back. He wasn't always this way, but there was just something about her that brought out that nice, protective side.

She gave him a quick kiss, before whispering,"I like all of your parts."

"I like your parts too." He whispered back with a grin, before he lowered his head and began to nibble on the side of her neck, causing her to squeal out in surprise. She playfully pushed him away with a laugh, as she said,"That tickles!"

"Noted." He said with a wink.

She smiled at him as she ran a hand through her hair, seeing all the glitter falling out. "I think you're right. We should shower. I am covered in glitter." She said with a laugh, as she stood up from the bed.

"It was those pesky fairies." Kaleb joked, as he stood up as well.

Emmalin shook her head and chuckled at his comment, before turning around to face him. She nodded her head toward the head of the bed, where the twinkling lights he bought her were hanging. "Thank you for the lights, by the way."

"You are very welcome, love." He said with a smile.

She walked around the bed to walk over to him, laying her arm loosely around his neck, as she added,"And thank you for last night. For listening to me ramble all night."

"I love to listen to you ramble." He said, as he kissed the tip of her nose. "Feel free to take a stroll down memory lane anytime."

"I would love to hear your stories too." She said. "I feel like I am always talking about myself. I want to hear about your life too, remember?"

"I know." He said with a nod. "Maybe next time."

"Or now." She suggested. "Tell me something now. Anything, like, what kind of stories did your mom tell you?" She shot him a teasing look, as she joked,"Was it fairies? Are you a closeted fairy fan too?"

"No." Kaleb said with a laugh, as he shook his head. "Trust me, I'm not a closeted fairy fan."

"What then? How did your mom get baby Kaleb to sleep?" Emmalin questioned, as she looked up at him with trusting eyes.

"Just uh, just regular stories." He said, as he turned away from her and opened one of the dresser drawers. Since he started staying with her more, he brough over some of his clothes and she cleared out a few drawers for him to use in her dresser.

"Like regular children nursery rhymes and stories? Things like that?" She questioned.

"Yeah. That." Kaleb answered, as he pulled out a clean shirt to wear.

"Well, what about when you got older?" Emmalin asked.

"I don't know, I guess, superhero stories." He said, as he slammed the drawer shut, causing her to jump. He turned around to face her, as he harshly questioned,"What does it matter?"

"I was just curious. I want to know you, Kaleb. I want to know everything." She gave him a sad shrug, as she quietly added,"I'm sorry for asking."

As she went to walk past him, he reached out to stop her, laying his hand on her stomach to bring her to a stop. He laid his head on the side of hers, as he whispered in her ear,"I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." He pulled back to look at her, laying his hands on either side of her face, as he added,"I didn't mean to be angry with you. It's just... you had a great childhood, you have all these great memories, and not everyone had that."

"Oh." Emmalin breathed out, realizing what he was saying. He was right, she did have a great childhood, but she realized not every one was that lucky, even Mara described her childhood totally different from her. Now she was even more curious on what kind of life Kaleb led.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, causing him to shake his head, letting her know she didn't have to apologize. Besides the last thing he wanted from her was pity.

Before either one could say anything else, something happened that took them both by surprise when they began to feel the floor shake. Kaleb pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her head and trying to shield her, as some books fell off her bookcase, and a few decorative figurines and pictures fell from her desk.

When he saw the flower vase that sat on the shelf above their heads begin to fall, he threw out a hand, causing it to fly across the room and slam against the opposite wall. When she jumped in his arms from the impact, he pulled her closer as he whispered words of comfort to her. He didn't mean to scare her, he was just trying to protect her.

"I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry." He whispered in her ear, as the ground stopped shaking under their feet.

She pulled back to look at him as she shook her head, letting him know it was okay. She glanced around for a moment, seeing the mess around the room. Thankfully, other than some of her stuff being in the floor, there wasn't much damage to the room.

"Was-Was that a-"

"Earthquake." Kaleb finished for her, seeing how scared she looked. He nodded his head, as he added,"Yeah. Yeah it was."

"Why?" Emmalin breathed out. "What caused it?"

Before he could answer, she heard her cell phone ringing. She stood in place, too shaken to move, causing Kaleb to give her a tender kiss on the top of her head, before he walked over to the bedside table to pick up her phone.

He glanced down, seeing it was her sister Mara calling. He walked back over to her, holding out the phone, as he said,"I think we're about to find out."

••• ••• •••

"We need to prepare –according to Sophie Deveraux, as Davina self destructs she'll cycle through four stages that signify the four stages that bound together the harvest." Klaus explained as he walked down the sidewalk next to Father Kieran.

He glanced over his shoulder when he realized Mara was no longer at his other side, she'd fallen a few steps behind them; slowly walking along as her attention kept being pulled up to the dark clouds gathering in the city sky above them.

Since her childhood she'd been drawn to storms. Both Emmalin's and her own favorite time of years was the spring time. Her sister loved it for all of the plants coming back to life after winter, the blooming of nature. Mara, however, loved the season for its frequent thunderstorms.

But this was different, it wasn't just a storm there was something far more sinister than dark clouds brewing on the horizon and she felt like she'd somehow landed her and her sister smack dab in the center of it all.

She was shaken from her thoughts as Klaus grabbed her arm and pulled her back up to his side, keeping his hold on her so she wouldn't fall behind again –he already felt like the city was starting to crumble around them.

"The earthquake?" Kieran guessed, he'd had a feeling it wasn't a natural event.

"Ah, yes." Klaus nodded, "The earth stage comes first."

"Earth stage?" He repeated back coming to a stop before his forehead lined with concern and he questioned, "What comes next?"

"Wind." Klaus answered, "Each stage is worse than the last… gaining power with each new element."

"Then after the wind is water." Klaus continued to relay the story they'd gotten from Sophie earlier that day after Elijah had brought her back to the compound for answers on what was happening with Davina.

"Rain?" Kieran questioned.

"Flooding." Klaus corrected.

"How bad?"

"Quite bad actually, but that's not the worst of it."

Looking at the hybrid with a confused and also worried look, Father Kieran dared to ask, "What's worse than the flooding?"

"Fire." Mara spoke up, when she had his attention she thought back to what they'd learned and sighed as she explained, "Since it comes last… it's going to be the worst. We're not just talking about the French quarter, we're talking about the entire city burning."

"But, I didn't take over this town to watch it burn to the ground." Klaus said, cutting off the end of her sentence as if the city burning down around them wasn't a choice.

"You know a way to stop this though, right?"

Klaus glanced over at Mara who's jaw tensed in anger and she stubbornly folded her arms over her chest before he turned back to Kieran and admitted, "Yes, but you're not gonna like how. They witches will need to complete the harvest."

When he saw the expression on Kieran's face he quickly said, "The witches say Davina and the others will be resurrected."

"You can't believe a word witches say." Mara gruffly replied, then rolled her eyes as Klaus looked over at her and she corrected, "These witches at least. How do we know they're not just lying to get what they want?"

Almost as if the winds were on cue, gusts of hard winds blew the streets carrying trash and a few hats with it.

Mara groaned in pain as she turned her face away from the direction the stinging winds were coming from and over nature's roar she heard Klaus point out, "I don't think we've got the time to wait and see."

••• ••• •••

After talking to her sister, the couple quickly showered and made their way to the compound. According to her sister, the earthquake was cause of Davina. All the power she took in after the failed harvest attempt was becoming too much for her.

The power from her and the other harvest girls was supposed to go back into the earth, but since Davina got it all, it was slowly killing her, and if that wasn't bad enough, she'll also cause destruction around them; like the earthquake earlier, which was only the beginning.

Emmalin came to a stop in the courtyard, seeing a few vampires sitting around. She knew none would mess with her- or at least she hoped not, but being around them still made her nervous. When she felt Kaleb grab her hand, giving it a squeeze, she felt herself instantly calm down. She turned her head to the side to look at him, seeing that he was looking right back at her.

"There you are." They heard a voice say, causing them to turn their heads and see Rebekah walking toward them.

Emmalin gave her a small smile and nod in greeting. Vampires still might her feel uneasy, but after working with Rebekah and Elijah in the bayou, she was a little more comfortable around the blonde. Despite what they were and the fact that they should be enemies; at the end of the day, they were both just a girl who wanted a full, happy life filled with love and laughter, but instead was pulled into a world they did not understand. Once she got passed the part that she was an original, Emmalin could see her as someone who could become a good friend.

"Rebekah, this is Kaleb-"

"The boyfriend, right?" The blonde interrupted. When Emmalin nodded her head, she flashed him a smile, as she said,"Cute." She nodded her head toward the side, as she continued,"Now come on. No time to waste."

"Where's my sister?" Emmalin questioned, as she and Kaleb followed along behind Rebekah. She was surprised her sister had not come out to greet her yet.

"She's with my brother talking to Father Kieran." Rebekah answered, causing her to let out a small scoff. Of course her sister would be with Klaus, that is where she had mostly been lately anyways. She wanted to be happy for her sister, but she couldn't. As much as she hated to admit it, she could notice little small changes in Mara already and that did not sit well with her.

The blonde ignored the noise, as she added,"They're updating him on Davina."

"How is Davina?" Emmalin asked.

"Not well." Rebekah softly said, as she came to a stop in front of the bedroom door. "And it's going to get worse."

"What can we do?" Kaleb questioned.

"Try to keep her calm." Rebekah answered. "At least until..."

"Until what?" Emmalin asked when she paused.

When the blonde didn't answer and instead looked away, Emmalin gasped as she realized what she was saying. They needed to keep her calm so she didn't destroy the city or them until it was time to complete the harvest.

"We can't do this!" Emmalin hissed, not wanting Davina to overhear them.

"I'm sorry, but we might not have a choice." Rebekah said with a pained face.

"There has to be something." Emmalin pleaded, feeling Kaleb pulling her toward him to comfort her. "Maybe-Maybe there is something in my grimoire. There are so many spells in there I still haven't read yet. Or maybe my uncle has a book, he has a whole library filled with books, there has to be something. There has to be!" Her voice growing more desperate the more she talked.

"Hey, pull it together!" Rebekah said, a little harsher than she meant. When she saw the look on Emmalin's face, her face softened, as she added,"We have to remain calm too; for Davina. If we get hysterical, it'll only make things worse."

Emmalin nodded her head, realizing she was right, and felt Kaleb rub a hand up and down her back. He was seconds away from snapping back at Rebekah, but he could tell she didn't mean to speak that way to them. They were all on edge, worried about Davina, and worried just how much worse things could get. It was a stressful time, causing a weird energy in the air.

Rebekah reached out to open the bedroom door, then looked back at the couple, as she said,"Remember to remain calm."

The three made their way inside, seeing Davina laying in bed with her eyes closed as she rested for the moment. After what happened earlier, she felt drained. She couldn't understand what was happening to her. What would cause her to throw up dirt and make the earth shake?

Emmalin watched the young witch slowly breathing and felt her heart break for her. No one should have to go through this and especially someone this young. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. There was still so much she didn't understand about magic, but she couldn't understand how something like this would be okay; that a coven would murder their own just to keep their power. It didn't seem worth it to her. She would give up her powers over and over again if it meant saving a life.

She turned her head to look at Rebekah, asking her for a damp washcloth, before she took a few steps toward the bed. She carefully sat down beside Davina, brushing her hair aside the way a mother would for a child.

A few seconds later, when Rebekah joined them in the room again, she took the cool cloth from her hand and began to wipe the sweat from Davina's forehead, causing the young girl's eyes to flutter open.

"Hi." Emmalin whispered.

"Hey." Davina sleepily said, as she blinked a few times, trying to force herself to wake up. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Emmalin said, as she shook her head. Thinking she meant the earthquake and what was going on now, she added,"You can't help what is happening to you. The power you have-"

"No." Davina interrupted. "I mean, at the church, when I knocked you out. I'm sorry." She repeated, meaning when she and Mara came to the church to help her escape.

"That's okay too." Emmalin said with a smile. "I know it is hard to know who to trust in this world."

"I don't think I can trust anyone again." Davina said, as her face fell. At one time she thought she could trust Marcel, but he lied to her. He never told her that the last remaining elder was killed and he was buddy-buddy with Klaus again, even though he killed Tim just a few short hours ago.

"You sound like Mara." Emmalin joked, a small chuckle escaped her lips. When a small smile appeared on the young witch's face Emmalin asked her what.

"When I talked to Mara, she told me I sounded like you." Davina explained. "I told her I never wanted this, I wanted to be normal."

"That does sound like me." Emmalin softly said. "When I first found out what I was, I wanted no part of it, I wanted to keep living my normal life, but now, I like this life. I want to use the power I have to keep the balance. I want to use it to help people; like you, Davina. And I know Mara would want to help you too."

"I like Mara." Davina said with a small smile. "She brought me white hot chocolate."

"She use to do that for me too when I was young and upset." Emmalin said, as she smiled back. "She can be trusted, Davina." Despite the crowd she was hanging with lately, Emmalin had no doubt her sister would still do the right thing. She knew she could still be trusted. "We both can."

"I can see that." Davina said with a small nod. "I think I can trust you two."

"Good." Emmalin said. "And because of that, I want to be honest with you, Davina." She glanced behind her at Rebekah and Kaleb; who had stood back and remain silent as she spoke to the young witch. She turned back to look at Davina, as she added,"We want to be honest with you."

"About what?" Davina asked confused.

"Davina, what's happening to you, is just the beginning." Emmalin began to say. She explained what happened earlier, the earthquake and her throwing up dirt was the earth stage.

"Then comes wind." Rebekah added, as she took a step closer to the bed. She sat down on the other side, as she continued,"And since each stage is more intense than the last. Let's just say you'll blow the roof off this place."

They could tell Davina was already getting upset, but they owed it to her to tell her the truth. Emmalin reached out to grab her hand, hoping to comfort her, as Rebekah explained about the other cycles, but nothing could keep the young girl calm when the blonde vampire revealed they wanted to complete the harvest.

"No!" Davina called out, as tears filled her eyes.

"The witches say you'll be resurrected." Rebekah pointed out, hoping that wasn't a lie.

"They're liars!" Davina cried. "They'll say anything to get what they want. Just like Marcel, just like you." She turned her head to the side, looking at Emmalin, as she continued,"You said- You said I could trust you. You said-"

"And you can, Davina." Emmalin interrupted. Her own vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears, before saying,"I don't want this anymore than you do."

"Then fix it!" Davina cried. "Fix me!"

"I'm trying, I swear I will try." Emmalin said back. She wrapped both of her hands around hers, as she added,"I promise I won't give up, Davina. I will keep trying."

"Don't let this happen, please don't let it happen to me." Davina cried out, getting even more upset and causing the wind to pick up outside.

Emmalin jumped in surprise when the shutters slammed against the house repeatedly. She felt Kaleb walk up behind her and lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. When Rebekah stood up from the bed announcing they needed to give her something to calm her down, it only cause Davina to cry and struggle more.

"Davina, Davina!" Rebekah called out to the teen. "The more upset you become, the faster you deteriorate."

As the young witch continued to cry and the wind got worse outside, Emmalin reached up to lay her hand on top of Kaleb's, drawing power from him, before she laid her other hand on top of Davina's head, whispering a few words, which instantly made her calm down.

She blew out a relieved breath as the wind stopped blowing outside. She kept her hand on top of Davina's head, then looked over at Rebekah, telling her to find something to give her. She knew she couldn't keep the spell going for too much longer, but it would at least keep her calm enough until they gave her something.

Minutes later, after they started a IV drip to keep her sedated, Emmalin stood up from the bed, then stumbled a little from the spell. Kaleb quickly wrapped his arms around her, keeping her steady, as he asked if she was okay.

"Yeah. It just took a lot to keep her down. The power that is flowing through her, it's too much than one person can handle. It was fighting against me." Emmalin explained.

Kaleb glanced behind him, seeing a box of kleenex on a table and grabbed a tissue. He turned back toward her, placed the tissue under her nose to catch the blood, before saying,"If we don't get that power out of her soon, she's not going to make it. None of us are."

"I know." Emmalin whispered, as tears filled her eyes. "I need to search my grimoire-" She began to say until the saw the look on her face, causing her to ask him what.

"You're not going to find anything." Kaleb said, hating that he was having to tell her this. "There is no other way to save her. There is only one way. And that's-"

"Don't." She pleaded, her voice barely a whisper. She knew what he was going to say, he was going to say the only way to save her was the harvest, but she couldn't support that. She had to believe there was another way.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her face in his chest, as she continued,"For now, please just don't say that. Just don't."

"Okay." He softly said, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He rested his head on top of hers and blew out a breath. He knew how this was all going to end and he hated it.

He hated that someone had to die in order for the others- and himself, keep their powers. He hated that he had to disappoint his girlfriend and tell her there was no other way around this. He hated in order to save all of them, to save their city, a young girl must be sacrificed- but most of all, he hated that the person who must die was an innocent, sixteen year old girl, named Davina Claire.

••• ••• •••

**A/N - Thank you to everyone reading. Special thanks to NicoleR85, CaptainTana, geminigurl89 and SmellYourScentForMiles for taking the time to leave a review. You'll never know how much that means to me :)  
**


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